Lynnette Conrad said she will use her fluency in Spanish to add diversity to the school board and unity to the district.
"I am not a Latina, but I have a lot of experience," she said. "Everybody needs a voice, and I don't think they're represented enough."
Conrad, 45, was appointed to the Carson City School Board on Tuesday night to fill the seat vacated by Bob Crowell after he was elected mayor.
She was one of 12 candidates who were narrowed down to three finalists. She and Deonne Contine received three votes each, bringing the process to a stalemate.
The meeting was opened to public comment. Terry Shelling, a fourth-grade teacher at Empire Elementary School, where a majority of students are Spanish speaking, urged the board to vote for Conrad.
"Our parents at our school are very hesitant to come into the school because they don't speak the language," she said. "I think we need someone on the board who can listen to them and communicate with them."Trustee Joanna Wilson was persuaded and switched her vote, giving Conrad the majority.
"I'm still in shock," Conrad said Wednesday. "I was really surprised. I was up against some pretty stiff competition."
Twelve applicants were interviewed Tuesday night, the most to apply for one seat in more than two decades. Among them were several community leaders.
"It's a huge job, and I want to do the best I can," Conrad said. "Especially being chosen from such a phenomenal selection, I don't want to let anyone down."
Raised in Colorado, Conrad was working for the Centers for Disease Control in Houston when she heard about a job opening for a communicable diseases specialist in Carson City.
Finding Carson City on the map, she saw its proximity to mountains and Lake Tahoe, so she applied for the job. She was hired and moved here 16 years ago.
While skiing at Spooner Lake 10 years ago, she met her husband, Keith.
"He offered to wax my skis, and I paid him back with dinner. That was it."
They now have two children, Alexa, 9, and Nate, 5.
Conrad is now a physician's assistant and learned Spanish while doing medical work in Mexico.
Conrad said she is looking forward to her service on the board.
"I love the diversity of public education," she said. "I want teachers to feel they have the resources to teach our kids and that they have the support of our community."
- Contact reporter Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.