There was some minor shuffling Tuesday night at the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB).
During its annual organizational meeting, the board trustees acclaimed Chair Fulvio Valentinis for another year. The board also named Trustee Mary DiMenna the new vice-chair, succeeding Lisa Soulliere. The board holds elections for chair and vice-chair each year.
Valentinis is in his third term on the WECDSB board. He was previously a member of Windsor City Council for 20 years.
"We’re beginning this term in an enviable position," said Valentinis. "Enrollment is up, which means our staffing is increasing, and our student achievement is very strong. Those are all great news stories. However, we do have a number of challenges ahead in the coming year, and I’ll be looking forward to working with my fellow trustees and our board’s administration on dealing with those issues so that our students may continue to succeed."
DiMenna is the trustee for Essex, Kingsville, and Leamington. She was first elected to the WECDSB board in 2003 and was vice-chair from 2009 to 2017. She is a retired Catholic board teacher, having served in a classroom for 33 years.
"I’ll be looking forward to working with Chair Valentinis, my fellow trustees and our board’s administration in making sure that we deliver on our strategic goals and continue to provide the level of excellence in Catholic education that our students, families and communities have come to expect," said DiMenna.
It was the first board meeting that included the trustees elected in last month's municipal elections. Joe Iacono takes over the trustee's position for Windsor Wards 2 and 9, while Jason Lazurus assumes Windsor Wards 5 and 8. Both succeeded incumbents that chose not to run again.