School board names Finders new president

STEPHANIE BERTHOLDO/Acorn Newspapers CHANGING OF THE GUARD—Members of the Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education have changed duties for the coming year. From left, Gordon Whitehead is clerk, Pat Schulz is vice president, Cindy Iser is a board member, Terilyn Finders serves as president and Dave Moorman becomes a board member. The Las Virgenes Unified School District Board of Education reorganized Dec. 13, welcoming Terilyn Finders as president. Finders replaces Cindy Iser, whose one-year term as president expired.

Board member Pat Schulz will serve as vice president, and Gordon Whitehead as clerk.

Iser was honored by colleagues, friends, family and local representatives at the ceremony for her service over the past year.

“It was a great year,” superintendent Sandra Smyser said. “We made a great team.”

Finders said Iser led the board with “grace and integrity,” and that when Iser was faced with a tough decision, she always pushed for what was best for students.

Whitehead echoed his colleagues’ sentiments. Iser always has a “kids first” focus, he said.

Schulz praised Iser’s work ethic, saying she had gone “far above and beyond” the call of duty as president.

Board member Dave Moorman called Iser a “master” at keeping the board meetings on task, and praised her attention to detail. Iser was presented with commendations from Mary Sue Mauer, a Calabasas City Council member, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

“I don’t think people know (that) what you do is a volunteer job,” Mauer said. “You’ve grown into such a wonderful community leader.”

Iser thanked everyone for their kind thoughts and said she appreciated how district

staff members helped her whenever needed. “I look forward to three more years without the gavel,” she said.

Finders’ second round as president began last week. First elected to the Las Virgenes Board of Education in 1999, she was reelected in 2003.