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
As we enter another election season, I encourage voters to support Will Meyer, Liz Callahan, and Kevin Diaz for the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education.
As a lifelong resident, graduate of our school district, and former Board member who served from 2022-2024 and as Board President in 2024, I have had the opportunity to view our school district from multiple perspectives. One lesson you learn through Board service is that an important transition must occur between being a candidate and becoming a board member. Board service requires weighing competing priorities, engaging and listening to different stakeholders, working productively with administration, and making decisions that must serve the district as a whole.
Working alongside Will and Liz, I saw both navigate that transition and grow into their roles. With Will now serving as Board President and Liz as First Vice President, they have taken on significant leadership responsibilities, and I believe the thoughtful and effective leadership they have shown should continue into a second term.
Will’s strength is his ability to examine an issue from multiple facets. He pays close attention to the legal, financial, operational, and educational aspects of a decision, while understanding the importance of hearing from different stakeholders before moving forward. His Board service reflects that approach. As Policy Committee chair, a member of Special Services Committee and Finance, Facilities & Technology (FFT), and now chair of Student & Family Affairs, Will has emphasized measurable goals, regular review of student outcomes, and a more structured assessment of the student and financial impact of major district decisions.
Liz brings extensive professional experience in education, but most importantly, the ability to understand community concerns and translate them into district practice. As Chair of the Special Services Committee throughout her term, Liz helped move that work from an ad hoc committee to a standing committee, creating more consistent Board oversight of special education. Through her work on both the Special Services and Curriculum & Instruction committees, she has pushed for stronger coordination between the departments and for special education to be more directly incorporated into district goals.
Kevin Diaz would bring an important new voice to the Board. Throughout his campaign, he has demonstrated an understanding that a board member should not seek to run the daily operations of the district, but should establish expectations, ask difficult questions, and hold leadership accountable. I also value his commitment to equity and his recognition that long-term initiatives such as the Intentional Integration Initiative should be evaluated and improved without abandoning their fundamental purpose when the work becomes difficult. That perspective will be important as the district continues its work around integration, opportunity, and educational equity.
I believe Will Meyer, Liz Callahan, and Kevin Diaz bring a combination of experience, judgment, and commitment to the core values of our community. I will be voting for all three, and I hope that you will join me in supporting them.
