This fall, four candidates are vying for three seats on the 9-member South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education: Trish Azeez, Liz Callahan, Kevin Diaz, and Will Meyer. Village Green is posting endorsements for candidates from current and former elected officials who hold or held townwide office or higher, as well as endorsements by local organizations. We ask that endorsers coordinate with candidates for full guidelines. Read more election coverage here.
Will Meyer, Liz Callahan and Kevin Diaz
I am pleased to endorse these three candidates for the Board of Education – William Meyer, Elizabeth Callahan and Kevin Diaz. Their commitment to championing children with disabilities and neurodivergent students, addressing bullying and mental health, advocating for LGBTQ+ children, strengthening governance and accountability, and advancing sustainability reflects important priorities for our schools and our community.
Their continued advocacy is essential, particularly for students whose needs have historically been overlooked or insufficiently addressed. Equally important, however, is their sense of responsibility to lead in a way that serves all students, respects families, and recognizes the complexity of the decisions facing our schools.
My endorsement comes with the expectation that these candidates will approach their responsibilities with open minds and a commitment to scientific evidence, reliable data, reasoned and rational compromise, and continued, meaningful dialogue with parents, educators, and the students they serve.
Meyer and Callahan recognize that strong leadership requires more than conviction. They demonstrate and must continue to show their willingness to listen, ask difficult questions, consider differing perspectives, evaluate the scientific evidence, and adjust course when the facts warrant it. For Diaz, it means balancing advocacy with sound judgment, principles with practicality, and individual needs with the broader responsibility to provide an equitable, effective, safe and sustainable education for every child.
I believe our Board of Education is strongest when decisions are transparent, accountability is clear, and collaboration remains at the center of its work. I encourage these candidates to bring their passion and expertise to the board while fostering a culture in which respectful disagreement is welcomed, dialogue continues, and decisions are guided by what best serves our students.
I endorse these candidates with optimism and with the expectation that they will lead with compassion, intellectual honesty, sound judgment, and a willingness to work together. We will disagree on issues, but I believe these 3 will serve our children well. Our children deserve nothing less.
Olivia Lewis-Chang, PhD
Parent/Guardian of Senior at CHS
South Orange Village Council
The views expressed here represent Olivia Lewis-Chang and not the South Orange Village Council as a whole.
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