11 candidates seek four of the five School Board seats
Four of five School Board seats will be filled by voters at next Tuesday’s election. All five seats were open, but one candidate, currently an incumbent, is running unopposed. Each seat represents one zone.
Four men are seeking the Zone 1 School Board seat. They are Ryan Heckman, Chris Olson, Trenton Talburt and Adam Yager.
There are two candidates for Zone 2. They are Jessica Branham and Stephen (Drew) Rosser.
The three candidates for Zone 3 are Leslie Jackson, Eric Rowlee and Sarah Saragusa.
Mindy Cawthon (incumbent) is unopposed in Zone 4.
There are two candidates in Zone 5. They are Melanie Christensen and John Dye.
Voters must live within the same zone as the candidate for whom they’re voting.
The election is set for Tuesday, May 24. Early voting began May 9 and continues through Monday, May 23.
School superintendent Keith Martin has scheduled training sessions for the winners of the election to begin May 25 in order to prepare the new School Board members for their responsibilities.
Zone 1
Ryan Heckman
Residency: Pea Ridge resident for 19 years
Occupation: Engineering manager for Clorox for more than 20 years
Education: Bachelor in engineering management, Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, (now Missouri S&T)
Political experience: Previously served a term on Pea Ridge School Board
Chris Olson
Residency: Pea Ridge resident from 2006-2008, 2010-2011, and since 2013
Occupation: Retired law enforcement
Education: not disclosed Political experience: None
Trenton Talburt
Residency: Pea Ridge
Occupation: Stay-at-home dad, former school maintenance employee in Nome, Alaska, and worked for vendor for Walmart
Education: Graduated Pea Ridge High School 2007
Political experience: None
Adam Yager
Residency: Pea Ridge resident since 2010
Occupation: Senior claims manager, Walmart
Education: Graduate of Bentonville High School
Political experience: None
Zone 2
Jessica Branham
Residency: Pea Ridge resident since 2017
Occupation: Senior project manager, Walmart
Education: Attended NorthWest Arkansas Community College, currently taking classes from University of Arkansas
Political experience: None
Stephen (Drew) Rosser
Residency: Pea Ridge resident
Occupation: Realtor for H&R Group at Thrive Real Estate, owner of Lil Hawks Children’s Academy
Education: Graduate of Pea Ridge High School
Political experience: None
Zone
3 Leslie Jackson
Residency: Pea Ridge resident since 2013
Occupation: Senior client service associate for the past 10 years at a finance firm in Rogers
Education: Graduate of Van Horn High School, Mo.
Political experience: None
Eric Rowlee
Residency: Pea Ridge resident since 2011
Occupation: Director of learning architecture and design, Walmart.
Education: Associates degree from Illinois Valley Community College, bachelors degree in psychology from Brigham Young University, masters in industrial/ organizational psychology from University of Nebraska and an MBA from Brigham Young University
Political experience: None
Sarah Saragusa
Residency: Pea Ridge resident since 2018
Occupation: Licensed mental health therapist
Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications, masters degree in clinical mental health, both from Henderson State University
Political experience: None
Zone 4
Mindy Cawthon
Unopposed
Zone 5
Melanie Christensen
Residency: Pea Ridge resident for 10 years
Occupation: Homemaker, substitute school bus driver
Education: Attended Brigham Young University
Political experience: None
John Dye
Residency: Pea Ridge resident for 16 years
Occupation: Certified public accountant, gym owner
Education: Attended Southwest Baptist University
Political experience: Currently serving a second term on Pea Ridge School Board