Tag Archives: Teacher Politicians

Duane Pomeroy: High School Social Studies Teacher and Topeka Politician

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Often talented educators also distinguish themselves as public servants. This is true of Duane  Pomeroy, a high school social studies teacher and tennis coach who served for a time as the acting mayor of his home town of Topeka in Shawnee County, Kansas. Duane is pictured here on the left, following a tennis match.

11236168Duane was born in Topeka on January 1, 1952, and was raised there. His father, Elwaine Pomeroy, served sixteen years as a Kansas state senator. Duane graduated from Topeka High School in 1970. After his high school graduation, Duane enrolled at Washburn University in Topeka. There he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1978 and his teaching certificate in 1979. Interestingly, while he was working on his degrees, he served on the Topeka Unified School District 501 Board of Education for four years, from 1977 to 1981. Interestingly, Duane also served as an alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas in 1972.

Long after his service on the Board of Education, Duane accepted a position at Topeka High School where he taught government and social studies. He also served as the head coach for both the school’s tennis team and the bowling team.

Duane became a member of the Topeka City Council in January, 1993, when he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Vic Miller when Miller was elected to the Shawnee County Commission. Duane also served as the Deputy Mayor under Mayor Butch Felker. From November, 2003, to January, 2004, he served as the acting mayor when the mayor became involved in a scandal and was forced to resign. His weeks as the interim mayor were eventful. Besides overseeing the application process for appointing a new mayor, he made approximately 40 appointments and reappointments to city boards and commissions. He also handled recommendations related to streamlining expenses related to the city’s fire department.

On a personal note, Duane married Deborah Briggs, and the couple have two grown sons, Shane and Troy.

Science teacher Ann Mah also serves in the Kansas House of Representatives

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28 Ann MahOften talented educators also become accomplished politicians. This is true of Ann E. Mah, a high school teacher who was also elected as a Democrat to the Kansas House of Representatives.

Ann was born on May 5, 1951, in Clay Center, Kansas. Her parents were Wayne and Evelyn Clark. Young Ann was raised in Haysville near Wichita, where her father was a machinist at Boeing and her mother was a public school teacher.

Ann graduated from Haysville Campus High School.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from Emporia State University in 1973 and her master’s degree from Emporia in 1978. She served as a high school science teacher in Chase County public schools from 1973-1978, and as a teacher in Emporia public schools from 1977-1979.

Ann was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2005. While in office, Ann represented the 53rd district. She served on the committees for education, higher education, and local government. She also served on the Kansas Advisory Committee on Career and Technical Education in the Kansas Department of Education. She served until 2013.

Ann and her husband, Larry, have one child, a son named Cary, and one grandchild. The couple lives in Topeka, Kansas. Currently, Ann works as a trainer and motivational speaker, and is the owner of Discover! Strategies. She is a member of the Capitol Area Federated Women’s Democratic Club, Shawnee County Democrats, State Committee of the North Central Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greater Topeka. Active as a community volunteer, she has also served on the United Way of Greater Topeka Board of Directors and the Shawnee Heights Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors.

In 1997, Ann was selected National Woman of the Year by the American Business Women’s Association. She was also voted the Topeka YWCA Woman of Excellence.

Chalkboard Champion and Tennessee Teacher William A. Feilds

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150px-William_A_FeildsOften talented educators also become accomplished politicians. Such is the case with Tennessee school teacher William A. Feilds.

William A. Feilds was born into slavery near Fisherville in the county of Shelby located in west Tennessee in circa 1846. Although many records spell his surname as “Field” or “Fields,” William himself seems generally to have used the “e-i” combination, normally adding a final “s.”

Through years of hard work and close application to study, William earned his teaching certificate which qualified him to teach in the public schools. By 1883, William had become the principal of Shelby County’s 5th District school, at that time located on Waldran Avenue just beyond the Memphis city limits, not far from where Memphis Central High School stands today.

In addition to his career as a schoolteacher and principal, William served one term in the Tennessee House of Representatives as a member of the Republican party. He served from 1885-1886. During his years of service in the legislature, William was particularly interested in efforts to educate black children and to give African Americans greater control over the schools in their communities.  He urged passage of his bill, HB 119, which would require parents and guardians to enroll children aged 7-16 in school for 120 days per year. After he left the legislature, William was also elected a member of the Shelby County County Court, a legislative body, and he served as a justice of the peace.

On December 29, 1874, William A. Feilds married Elizabeth Feilds. The couple had three children: Mary, Cyrus William, and Stella. He is also purported to be the great-great-grandfather of actress and recording artist Vanessa Williams.

This chalkboard champion passed away on September 9, 1898.

Nicole E. Lowen: The Teacher Who Was Elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives

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web1_Nicole-Lowen_5There are many fine examples of talented educators who also become successful politicians. Such is certainly the case with Nicole E. Lowen, a Montessori teacher and a Democrat who currently serves as a member of the House of Representatives in Hawaii. Nicole has represented Hawaii’s District 6 since January 16, 2013. District 6 serves Kailua-Kona, Holualoa, Kalaoa, and Honokohau.

Nicole earned her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania, and her master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Hawaii. She has also earned a graduate certificate in disaster management from the University of Hawaii.

Her teaching experience includes teaching at Hawaii Montessori School from 1996-2007, working as a teaching assistant at the University of Hawaii Department of Urban and Regional Planning during 2011, and working as an admissions director for Hawaii Montessori School in 2012. She is obviously a strong supporter of quality education. “All children deserve access to a quality education,” she has said, “… and our schools must be given the resources they need to shrink classroom sizes and get the job done.”

In the House of Representatives, Nicole serves on the committees for Energy and Environmental Protection; Ocean, Marine Resources, and Hawaiian Affairs; Finance; and Water and Land.

In her spare time, Nicole is active with the Sierra Club. She has been a volunteer for the organization during 2011-2012 and served as a member of the Sierra Club’s executive committee during 2012.

Teacher Gabriel J. Campana: The Mayor of Williamsport, Pennsylvania

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GabePhotoHow astonishing is it that so many politicians were once school teachers? Such is the case for Gabriel J. Campana, an elementary school educator who has been the mayor of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, since 2008.

Gabriel was born July 6, 1963, in Williamsport, one of eleven siblings. His father, Dr. Louis F. Campana, was a local physician, and his mother, Rose Campana, is a retired nurse. As a teenager, Gabriel attended St. John Neumann Academy, a local parochial school, where he graduated in 1981.  Following his high school graduation, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and his master’s degree from Wilkes University, a private institution located in Wilkes-Barr, Pennsylvania. He earned a doctorate degree in administration from the University of Sarasota.

MayorCampana_CLC1For twenty years, Gabriel served as a fifth grade teacher at Stevens Elementary School in his home town of Williamsport. In addition to this teaching experience, he taught master’s degree classes at the College of New Jersey and he served as an adjunct assistant professor at Gratz College. In 2005, this remarkable educator was a recipient of the YMCA Racial Justice Award, and he has been named in Who’s Who in American Education.

The talented educator also served on  his home town’s city council. In November of 2007, he was elected the thirty-ninth mayor of the town of Williamsport. He ran on a platform of public safety and economic development. During his tenure as mayor, Gabriel continued to find time to work with young children. He is pictured here visiting Penn College’s Children’s Learning Center during the Week of the Young Child in 2008. The former teacher read a popular book aloud to the children and then gave a copy of the book to each youngster.

Still living on the same block where he grew up, Mayor Campana lives with his wife, Sonia, and their five children.