Incumbent Louisa Ho and her running mate Graelynn McKeown defeated incumbent Carol B. Herts for two three-year terms on the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional Board of Education.
Following the general election on Nov. 5, Ho brought in the most votes with 2,848, with her running mate McKeown bringing in 2,690. Herts fell short with only 2,623 votes.
All election results are not official until released by the Mercer County Clerk.
Ho has been on the school board for six years and has been chair of the Finance Committee for the past four years. She has served on several labor negotiations committees and twice served on the review committee to select a food service vendor.
Ho’s family has lived in West Windsor for 23 years. Both of her children attended West Windsor-Plainsboro Schools K-12 and are in graduate school now.
She has a bachelor’s in civil engineering and a master’s in transportation from MIT. Ho worked for New Jersey Transit-Bus Operations for 14 years in service planning and operations management. In her last two positions, she was responsible for approximately 900 staff members, with operating budgets in excess of $50 million. She said this work gave her a hands-on understanding of some of the challenges of managing a large, unionized, multi-location, public sector organization.
“Our society relies on volunteers to fill many roles. Not everyone has the time, interest or skills to serve. At this point in my life, I have the skills, the time and I truly care about the quality of the school experience,” Ho said. “My experiences as a volunteer with Girl Scouts have shown me the power of outstanding youth development. I want to help the school district do the best job it can for our kids.”
McKeown has been a West Windsor resident for seven years. She is a wife and a mother of two elementary-aged children who attend district schools. Serving on the PTA as a volunteer and the vice president of special events, she said it has given her many opportunities to get involved not only within the schools, but within the greater community as well. McKeown said she is a dedicated advocate for all children and brings a fresh perspective to the board.
“My personal mission is to raise upstanding global citizens,” McKeown said. “I believe many families, as well as the school district, share this same goal. As an advocate, I will be a voice for all of our students. I love being part of this community. I am eager to put in the time and energy needed to make a positive impact as our town evolves and prepares for the future.”
Herts had been a member of the board of education since she was first elected three years ago for a sole three-year term.