School Board appoints 2 to advisory committee

The Mentor School Board has unanimously appointed two new members to its Citizens Financial Advisory Committee.

John Brlecic and Adam Sanden will join the committee immediately and their terms will run through December 2020, according to a news release.

The CFAC was formed by the School Board 15 years ago to review budgeting and forecasting assumptions, help identify best financial practices, make periodic reports to the board and to serve as the audit committee. Committee members must reside within the school district’s boundaries and have a strong business background.

“Mr. Brlecic and Mr. Sanden stood out in the interview process because of their extensive business and financial experiences and demonstrated commitment to community service,” Board President Mary Bryner said in the release.

Brlecic is now retired from 42 years of progressive financial positions in both the public and private sectors, including serving as a budget analyst and administrative manager for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and as accounting supervisor for Picker International, the release stated.

“I am very proud to be a naturalized citizen of the United States and it is very important to me to give back to my community,” Brlecic said in the release. “Great local schools are a key component to having a vital community and I would like to focus some of my 40-plus years of public and private sector work experience to assisting this committee.”

Sanden is a Certified Public Accountant and a partner, chief financial officer and human resources manager at Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home & Cremation Center in Mentor. He currently serves as the chairperson of the Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce Board.

“I am happy to have the opportunity to serve our community by being involved in Mentor Public Schools, especially working with a team of people whose goal is to ensure our district stays financially sound,” Sanden said in the release. “I truly believe in the value a high quality school system brings to a community and am hopeful to contribute to that tradition of excellence by offering insight into best financial practices.”

Brlecic and Sanden join existing CFAC members Michelle Kaplan, Eryn Medved, Janet Mulh and Bernie Rykaczewski.