Springdale native making bid for School Board

SPRINGDALE — Being part of a family of educators helped inspire Nick Emerson to run for the School Board.

Emerson filed this week for the Zone 2 board seat held by Jeff Williams, who has said he will not seek re-election. Zone 2 covers the district’s northwest sector. Emerson will be opposed by Jefferson Miller in the May 22 board elections. Both men are making their first bids for an elected office.

Emerson, 33, has lived in Springdale his entire life. He graduated from Springdale High School in

2003 and went on to get a fire science degree from Northwest Arkansas Community College.

He spent eight years as a firefighter and paramedic with the Springdale Fire Department before starting a new career in real estate. He’s now an executive broker at Gibson Real Estate in Rogers. He also is a deacon with responsibility for the youth group at Robinson Avenue Church of Christ.

Emerson’s family ties to the School District run deep. His mother is a longtime teacher at Tyson Elementary and his wife is a prekindergarten teacher at Shaw Elementary. His father-in-law is a Springdale High School math teacher and his motherin-law is principal at Shaw.

“I get a lot of insight as to what’s going on in Springdale schools. I’m around it a lot because of my family,” Emerson said.

That, combined with his experience growing up in Springdale, make him a worthy candidate, he said.

“I feel like I know the pulse of the district,” Emerson said.

He said he has no agenda to bring to the board.

“I just want to see kids grow and succeed at whatever their passion is,” he said. “So I feel like becoming a board member is going to allow me to do what I love, and that’s work with kids and work with administrators and teachers and just continue what’s there.”

Emerson and his wife, Rachel, have three children, ages 7, 4 and 2.

Emerson