Hoover Council to interview 7 BOE applicants April 8

Published 3:54 pm Tuesday, April 5, 2016

By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

HOOVER—The Hoover City Council has called a special meeting on Friday, April 8 to interview candidates to fill a position opening up on the city’s Board of Education.

Seven applications were submitted to the City Council by the April 1 deadline. Applicants are Deanna Bamman, Dr. Calvin Briggs, Dr. Timothy Brunner, Ruth Cole, Guy Locker, Maxine Retzer and Robin Shultz.

A parent of two current Hoover City Schools students and one HCS graduate, Bamman has been an active member of the HCS community as a volunteer at Trace Crossings Elementary School, Bumpus Middle School and Hoover High School. She has been a member of several PTOs, served on the Hoover Parent Teacher Council Executive Board and has been part of seven HCS committees, including the Strategic Planning Committee for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Briggs offers in-school experience as a former Birmingham City Schools math teacher. Briggs received his PhD in leadership, policy and law from Alabama State University. He is currently the director of STEM and the Mathematics Department at Lawson State Community College and father to a HCS student.

Brunner is currently with the Southlake Animal Clinic, he received his veterinary medicine degree from Auburn University. He also served three years with the US Army Military Police. Brunner has a child in HCS, and has been involved in the community, serving as Scoutmaster for several Boy Scout troops, home owners’ association member and founder of the Spain Park Goal Club.

Cole is mother to two HCS students. She has previous work experience in administration, accounting and auditing. Cole also has extensive volunteer experience both within HCS, as a PTA member and vice president of fundraising at Berry Middle School, and with other organizations, such as Delta Delta Delta, First Priority Kids, American Heritage Girls and with her church.

Locker is an involved member of both the HCS and Hoover communities. He has served on the Hoover Board of Zoning Adjustment since 2004, and has been chairman since 2010. Locker has volunteered with the Hoover High School band and will be the equipment manager for the next two academic years. Locker’s wife was a HCS teacher from 1990-1995, and they have two children in the school system.

Retzer has served HCS in numerous capacities, including chairing the Rocky Ridge Elementary School Spring Fling and Silent Auction committees and serving as PTO president at Rocky Ridge Elementary and Berry Middle School. Retzer also has experience in the corporate world, most recently serving as the vice president of corporate marketing at Regions Financial Corporation from 2007-2009. Retzer has one child in the school system.

A longtime Hoover resident, Shultz is father to three HCS graduates and grandfather to one current student. Shultz is an active member of the Bluff Park community, has been involved in Neighborhood Watch groups and umpired youth baseball games. He is in the computer technology industry and founded Learning To Be The Light, an organization that refurbishes and donates computers to low income families in Hoover.

The council will begin interviewing candidates at 1 p.m., and the last interview is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. The interviews are open to the public, however no participation or comments are allowed.

Following the interviews, the council will select a candidate to fill the place of BOE President Derrick Murphy, whose term is expiring.

The Board of Education is comprised of five members. Each member serves a five year term.