Alamance-Burlington school board members have selected Dr. Eric Hall, the assistant provost at Elon University, to fill the remaining two years of former school board member Chuck Marsh’s term on the board (see related story, this edition).
Hall, of 203 Forestview Drive, Elon, is the parent of two students at Elon Elementary School. He is the assistant provost for scholarship and creative activity, director of undergraduate research, and a professor of exercise science at Elon University.
He was one of 16 residents who applied to be considered for the appointment, and one of only seven who showed up at Monday night’s meeting to outline their interest in and qualifications for serving on the seven-member, nonpartisan school board.
The other six applicants who attended the meeting Monday night included:
- Beth Carlin, 355 Roseberry Loop, Burlington;
- Ricky Hurtado, 507 North Main Street, Graham;
- Casey Johnston, 620 Collington Drive, Mebane;
- Patricia E. Lewis, 2169 Walker Avenue, Burlington;
- Jessica Stoner, 1005 Scotch Pine Way, Mebane;
- Brandy Whittaker, 3248 Castlerock Drive, Burlington.
One applicant, Evan Small, of 1223 Franklin Street, Elon, who is employed as a lecturer in the school of education and as the director for the Danieley Neighborhood for Elon University, submitted a video, outlining his interest in serving on the board. The video was played during Monday night’s school board meeting, after the seven applicants in attendance had concluded their remarks.
Three applicants withdrew their names from consideration prior to the school board’s meeting Monday night, school board chairman Sandy Ellington-Graves announced before the vote. They included:
- Gregory C. Scott, 450 Fieldstone Drive, Burlington:
- Laurie Smith, 2415 Ivy Knoll Drive, Mebane;
- Evan Sprinkle, 234 Macallen Drive, Burlington, also an Elon University employee who serves as the dean of undergraduate admissions;
The remaining five applicants who didn’t show up to speak at the board meeting Monday night were:
- Carl (“Kevin”) Cromwell, 2824 North N.C. Highway 119, Mebane;
- Adetokunbo (“Ade”) Eniolorunda, 1501 Cherry Stem Road, Haw River;
- Carisa Jeffries, 5014 Windsor Court, Elon;
- Lateerah J. Brown, 325 Mason Trace, Burlington;
- Jeffrey A. Williams, 123 Dolomite Drive, Gibsonville.
The vote was 4-2; the motion to appoint Hall came from another PhD on the board, Dr. Charles Parker, who lives in Mebane and works at Duke University. Voting to appoint Hall were: Parker, Ellington-Graves, vice chairman Dan Ingle, and Avery Wagoner. Voting against were Seneca Rogers and Tameka Harvey.
Hall will serve through November 2026 when his seat will be on the ballot.
[Story continues below links to other stories, and an editorial, about the appointment.]
Read what public speakers had to say: https://alamancenews.com/democrats-lobby-school-board-to-appoint-democratic-former-state-rep-to-fill-vacancy/
How school board members felt about their pick: https://alamancenews.com/school-board-members-outline-who-they-want-to-fill-vacant-seat/
The newspaper’s editorial page view on “diversity” argument about selecting a school board member, Diversity not the goal, or purpose, for school board members: https://alamancenews.com/diversity-not-the-goal-or-purpose-for-school-board-members/
Marsh, elected in 2022, resigned in February. He had missed 11 out of 24 meetings of the school board (work sessions, monthly meetings, and/or special called meetings) between March and November of 2024. He told the newspaper at the time, “I don’t want to go into great detail, but it was and continues to be due to health issues. June and July were not good months for me.”
“As some may remember,” Marsh elaborated in early November, “I had a stroke in 2021 and then a triple bypass with no less than 6 heart attacks (between March and December 2021) prior to [finding] out I had complications [due to] the Covid vaccine (doctor diagnosed) and had to be life-flighted to Duke for an emergency triple bypass.”
Marsh missed other, more recent meetings, as well, in December; earlier in February, before his resignation, he participated remotely by phone for the board’s February 11 work session.
