Two Trustees Elected to WISD Board of Education
On Monday, June 5, 2023, a biennial election was held with representatives from the nine constituent school districts of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) voted to elect R. Stephen Olsen and Dr. Sarena Shivers to serve six-year terms as trustees for the WISD Board of Education.
Qualified applicants needed to be a resident of the school district of Dexter, Chelsea, Lincoln, Manchester, Milan, Saline, Whitmore Lake, or Ypsilanti. Due to state law dictating that no more than two members of the board may be from the same school district, residents of Ann Arbor Public Schools were ineligible. Applicants also needed to be at least 18 years old, a registered voter in the school district where they are a candidate, and a citizen of the United States. Current WISD Board President Steve Olsen sought re-election for his second term, and Dr. Sarena Shivers was nominated as a write-in candidate by Whitmore Lake Public Schools Board Trustee Lee Cole. They were both elected unanimously, and their terms will begin on July 1, 2023.
Olsen is an attorney and has degrees from Oakland University and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan. Prior to serving on the WISD Board of Education, he served on the Board of Education for Chelsea School District for 12 years. “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our community as a WISD Board Trustee,” shared Olsen. “Washtenaw County’s public schools are exemplary, and I am proud of the work we do for young children, students, and families.”
“As a resident of Lincoln Consolidated Schools and former Assistant Superintendent of Washtenaw ISD, my heart is with this community,” expressed Dr. Shivers. Throughout her career in education, she has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and superintendent. Shivers worked for Washtenaw ISD from 2010-2015 before serving as Superintendent of Redford Union School District in Redford, MI, in August 2015. She became the Deputy Executive Director of Professional Learning and Member Services for the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators in 2020.
In 2014, Dr. Shivers received the S.L. Roberson Community Leadership Award – the highest award the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office bestows on a civilian– and in 2018, Dr. Shivers earned the Redford Community Foundation Service Award. She was named to Michigan’s Crain Notable Women in Educational Leadership in 2019. In 2022, Dr. Shivers was elected to the national ASCD Board of Directors.