Sepideh Yeoh Sepideh Yeoh will serve on the Oak Park Unified School District Board of Education to complete the remaining two years of a four-year term belonging to Marie Panec, who died in May.

Last week, school board members Barbara Laifman, Mary Pallant, Allen Rosen and Jan Iceland selected Yeoh from seven candidates to fill Panec’s spot on the five-member panel.

“The district was honored to have seven well-qualified candidates apply for the position, any of whom would have served the district and community well in their own unique way,” Laifman said.

Oak Park residents Wendy Bani, Meredith Benton, Drew Fine, Dennis Gehri, Edward Kaz and Bryan Poe also applied for the board seat.

Yeoh, who ran unsuccessfully in the November 2010 school board election, was selected because of her experience, Laifman said.

“Sepideh has prior experience in the district, including her position as PFA president at Red Oak Elementary School, during which time she has built respect from the school community,” Laifman said.

As chair and one of the founders of the “International Gala,” a fundraising event at Red Oak, Yeoh was considered a top candidate for the post because of her appreciation for the cultural diversity of the district.

Laifman said Yeoh understands the district’s desire to be “more inclusive and connected with the Oak Park community at large.”

Yeoh said she wanted to find ways to serve the community she has come to love since moving to the area five years ago.

“I am blessed to live in such a loving community,” she said.

Although she didn’t win the election last November, Yeoh didn’t view the experience as a loss.

“I gained support from many members of the community. Through campaigning I got to know Marie Panec very well. I hoped to serve on the board with her, but it wasn’t meant to be that way.”

A life coach, Yeoh was recruited by Panec to serve on Community Action of Ventura County, an agency whose mission is to help low-income, disadvantaged and at-risk families and individuals, including seniors and youths, to become self-sufficient.

As a school board member, Yeoh said she wants to maintain the quality of education in Oak Park. She also wants to create mentorship programs to help students develop the skills needed to succeed in school and in life.

“I think the board made an excellent decision,” Superintendent Tony Knight said.

In addition to working as the PFA president at Red Oak, Yeoh served on the district’s parentteacher organization council, which is made up of the heads of all the school parent-teacher groups.

“She worked well with the presidents from the other schools and demonstrated good skills in working as a member of a team,” Knight said. “This is one of the most important attributes of a school board member.”

Yeoh earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in personnel administration. She and her husband, Stephen, have two children who attend district schools.

Yeoh said she is excited about her new position.

“It’s emotional because I got to know Marie really well,” she said. “I will miss her presence on the board. This is a wonderful opportunity to serve the community and students.”

Yeoh will be sworn in at a special board meeting at 6 p.m. tonight, June 30, in room G9 at Oak Park High School. The public is invited to attend.

Further information about the board, updates and summaries of meetings can be found at www.oakparkusd.org.