When the Covington Board of Education meets on January 5, two graduates of Holmes High School will attend their first official meeting as board members.

Please help us welcome our newest board members, Stephen Gastright and Tom Haggard who were elected in November. They will join long-time board member, Glenda Huff who has been on the board since 2000 and re-elected in November, and board members Jerry Avery and Sarah Flerlage.

Superintendent Alvin Garrison said he looks forward to working with the board.

"The knowledge and insight they bring is just invaluable," Garrison said. "I look forward to having fresh perspectives. We have been graced with board members who are active members in our schools and in our community. We also have board members who are parents of current students in the district. It is always helpful to hear the parent voice when making decisions."

Gastright has been an architect for 23 years and serves as a vice president and the Director of Education Design for KZF Design in Cincinnati. For the past 15 years, he has focused on design for education.

He is married to Carolyn, who is also an architect. They are the parents of Reese, 12, an eighth-grader who attends Covington Latin; Grayson, 10, a fifth-grader at Sixth District Elementary School and 6-year-old Brody, a first-grader at Sixth District.

Gastright has been active in Covington schools for many years. He is a mentor with Covington Partners and was a member of the School-Based Decision-Making Council at Sixth District for four years. Gastright also is a member of the Covington Rotary.

"My passions, besides architecture and education, are coffee, soccer, barbecuing, and cycling," Gastright said. "I am very excited to collaborate with such talented people to help Covington’s kids succeed."

Gastright was the salutatorian of Holmes High School class of 1992. He earned a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania Meyerson School of Design and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Virginia.

Haggard is a 2001 graduate of Holmes High School. He earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Northern Kentucky University and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Thomas More College.

Haggard is the executive director of the Kentucky Out-of-School Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth in Kentucky have access to quality afterschool and summer learning programs.

His family includes his husband, Todd, and a golden retriever named Lady Bird.

Haggard is very familiar with Covington schools as he oversaw the district’s after school programs. He also was a soccer coach at Holmes.

Haggard said he is excited to serve on the board of education.

"I want to ensure that every student in Covington has access to the same world class and diverse education that I received at Latonia Elementary and Holmes High School," Haggard said. "I want to use my passion for Covington and my professional experience to ensure our schools are excellent, engaged and equitable."