After interviewing five candidates at Riverside Middle School in New Castle on Wednesday, the Garfield Re-2 School Board voted unanimously to appoint a new member to the board.

The school board had a vacancy to fill after former board president Meriya Stickler announced in August she’d be stepping down due to a work opportunity. District D stretches north and south between an eastern portion of Silt to a western portion of New Castle.

Now filling the vacancy is Dawn Evridge. Evridge has previous experience serving in hospital business administration, according to her application. She said she has a strong background and knowledge in accounting and budgeting, managing everything from “payroll to accounts receivable and payable.”

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“I’m not afraid of multi-million budgets,” she said. “I have a heart that it’s very important that we are good stewards of taxpayers’ money.”

Evridge said she also has a passion for mental health.

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“I think these last several years have taken a huge mental health toll on a lot of our teachers and our kids, our communities in general.”

Evridge also has previously served on the Rangely Fire Protection District Board as well as the Rangely Community Development Board. Evridge said she had two children enter the Re-2 district as freshmen and graduate with National Honor Society recognition.

“As a listener, I operate from my moral foundation, and my set of principles are rooted primarily in love and compassion. So I think I’d bring that along with me,” she told the board. “But I’m also a very logical person, I also make very evidence-based decisions when I review things.”

The Re-2 board agreed they liked Evridge especially because of her financial background, her previous involvement in community boards and her efforts to remain objective.

“Something that really resonated with me — I think it’s probably because of my profession as a nurse — was that love and compassion, though there’s logic behind that and everything is evidence-based,” board member Christina Maness said. “I know that those can be compatible and a good way to lead.”

Wednesday’s interview process also involved District D candidates Robert Sjogren, Danielle Cordova, Alan Richardson and Daniel Adams. All candidates were asked the same questions, including the board’s role in relation to the superintendent, their definition of a citizen-controlled board, their goals as a potential board member and more. 

According to Garfield Re-2 Executive Assistant Sharon Donohue, Evridge will take her oath during the next Re-2 school board meeting, slated Oct. 26 at Rifle High School.