Here are the candidates running for school boards across Ingham County

LANSING — November's general election is coming up fast, and many local school districts have board seats up for grabs.

Voters can register and vote until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Earlier registration is encouraged. Voters can cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at their polling place on election day.

Here's a look at the candidates running for spots in school boards across Ingham County.

Lansing School District

Lansing School District Board of Education members serve for six years, and three seats are open. Information was available for some of them in their social media accounts.

James Allen: Allen is a retired professor at Muskegon Community College, and a former teacher at Lansing School District, where he taught for 11 years. In the last six months, Allen has gone back to volunteering at the district as a substitute teacher. He has bachelor's degrees in theatre and education from Michigan State University and a master's in theatre from Wayne State University.

Keturah Bouyer: Bouyer is a former elementary school teacher at the Dwight Rich School of the Arts in the Lansing School District. Previously, she was a stay-at-home mom and homeschooled her four children as she pursued a degree in ministry leadership at Cornerstone University. Before accepting a teaching position at the district, she frequently volunteered.

Joshua Crim: Crim is a current Lansing School District board member, elected by the board in March to fill a vacated position. He is a renewables project engineer at Progressive and previously worked as a project engineer at Granger Construction. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Construction Management from Northern Michigan University, and he is a Lansing Eastern High School graduate.

LaVonté Heard: Heard is a former Lansing School District teacher, where he taught for 3 1/2 years. In August 2019, he founded The Transcendence Performing Arts Center, which aims to ensure children who are underrepresented in Greater Lansing have a space to learn and perform and have the resources to pursue careers in the arts. Heard has a degree in choral music education from the University of Michigan and a doctorate in education from Central Michigan University.

Dan Nowiski: Nowiski is a current Lansing School District board member, elected by the board in March to fill a vacated position. He is the Michigan Mission Center president for Community of Christ Church. Nowiski earned his bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University and has a graduate degree in Arts and Religion from Graceland University Seminary. His child is a student in the district.

Kyle Richard: From September 2016 to December 2018, Richard taught 7th- to 10th-grade social studies at Sexton High School. After leaving the district due to health issues, he became a local political organizer, serving for two years as the Co-Chair of the Greater Lansing Democratic Socialists of America. He volunteers with Rent is Too Damn High, an organization advocating for the rights of renters in Michigan.

Cirea Strode: Strode is a departmental data analyst for the State of Michigan. Previously, she worked as a foster care specialist and was a program director for the Heartfelt Impressions Learning Centers in Southeast Michigan. Her daughter is a student in the district. Strode has a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies and Child Development from Michigan State University.

Simon Verghese: Verghese works as an incentives and underwriting analyst at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Previously, he was a economic development specialist at the Lansing Economic Development Corporation. He currently serves as a Finance Chair on the Ingham Community Health Centers Board of Directors, and has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

Deyanira Nevarez Martinez, running partial-term ending Dec. 31, 2028: Nevarez Martinez is a current Lansing School District board member, elected by the board in September 2023. She is an assistant professor in the Urban & Regional Planning Program in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University. She has a doctorate in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy from the University of California, Irvine.

East Lansing Public Schools

East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education members serve for four years. Two full-term seats and one partial-term seat is open.

Chris Martin - Incumbent

Elizabeth Guerrero Lyons - Incumbent

Felix Thibodeau

Estrella Torrez - Incumbent

For partial term ending Dec. 31, 2026

Gary Holbrook - Incumbent

Abbie Tykocki

Leslie Public Schools

Leslie Public Schools Board of Education members serve for four years and two seats are open.

David Cowing - Incumbent

Mary Crowl

Bradley Dunlap - Incumbent

Bud Fifield - Incumbent

Eric Isham - Incumbent

Mason Public Schools

Mason Public Schools Board of Education members serve for six years and two seats are open.

Matt Bennett

Matt Hall

Lacy Harding

Michael Kelly - Incumbent

Brandon Leffew

Williamston Community Schools

Williamston Community Schools Board of Education members serve for six years and two seats are open.

Julie Conley - Incumbent

Heather Gorsline

Ginger Vincent

Deborah Wolf - Incumbent

Contact Sarah Atwood at satwood@lsj.com. Follow her on X @sarahmatwood.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Here are the candidates running for school boards across Ingham County