Skylar Mayberry-Mayes Selected for District 4 School Board Seat

UPDATE (Friday, April 5)

Slide1The School Board interviewed six candidates this week for the District 4 seat, and last night selected Skylar Mayberry-Mayes, PhD to fill the vacancy. He is the executive director of Grand View University’s Jacobson Institute, which supports educational initiatives for a future ready workforce.

The District 4 seat became open when Teree Caldwell-Johnson stepped down for health reasons on March 5; she passed away earlier this week on the morning of Sunday, March 31.

Under Iowa law, the School Board had 30 days in which to select a person to complete the balance of Caldwell-Johnson’s term

“We had six very qualified candidates to consider for joining the Board in our work,” noted Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines School Board. “It would have been an honor to serve with any of them.”

“It was a hard choice, but we felt Skylar Mayberry-Mayes is the right person at the right moment to represent the vision and values for District 4 and DMPS,” added School Board member Kim Martorano, who chaired the appointment committee for the vacancy.

“Being selected for the DMPS school board is an incredible opportunity to make a meaningful impact on our community’s education system,” said Mayberry-Mayes. “I look forward to helping shape the trajectory of education, ensuring that every student receives quality learning experiences and equitable opportunities to thrive.”

Mayberry-Mayes holds a PhD in education from Drake University, an MBA in leadership from Iowa State University, and a BA in finance from the University of Northern Iowa.

After Mayberry-Mayes is sworn into office later this month he will serve until the next election in November 2025.

Click here for a copy of Mayberry-Mayes’ resumé and application materials (information on other applicants and the selection process is available below and in the links to the right).

Skylar Mayberry-Mayes School Board Candidacy Interview

UPDATE (Monday, April 1)

The School Board will interview the following five applicants for the vacancy on April 3-4:

Wednesday, April 3

Thursday, April 4

NOTE: click on the name of an individual to open a PDF of their application materials submitted for consideration by the School Board.

The interviews are public and will take place in the School Board’s meeting room at Central Campus (1800 Grand Avenue).

ORIGINAL POST (Friday, March 8)

There is an empty seat at the School Board’s table to be filled.

This vacancy is being created as School Board member Teree Caldwell-Johnson, who represents Director District 4, announced her resignation from the Des Moines School Board effective March 5, 2024.

The term for this seat on the School Board is set to expire in 2025.

Due to the vacancy, the School Board has 30 days to select and appoint a person to serve the remainder of the term until the November 2025 election.

For more information about the process – including how to apply, the selection process, a map of the district and more – please visit the appropriate links in the menu to the right.

Questions about the selection process?

Please contact:

Kim Martorano (School Board member, chair of Ad Hoc Appointment Committee)
847-858-8603
kimberly.martorano@dmschools.org