Board of Education
Seven residents have applied for an upcoming vacancy on the Vestavia Hills Board of Education.
Interviews took place April 12, with an appointment expected to be made at the April 24 City Council meeting. The appointee will replace outgoing Board President Jennifer Weaver, who completes her five-year term in June.
The seven applicants are: Rachel Jordan, Kelly Rainer, Jerry “Jack” Anderson III, Brett Taylor, Owen Prescott, Mary Allison West and Kyle Whittington.
Rachel Jordan
Jordan is a 20-year resident of Vestavia Hills and parent of two Vestavia Hills High School students. Jordan previously worked as an elementary school teacher in the Hoover City School system.
Jordan is an ordained deacon at Vestavia Hills Baptist Church, a secretary for the VHHS PTO and a sponsorship coordinator for the high school track and field team. She has previously served as vice president of communications for the Pizitz PTO, president of the former Vestavia Hills Elementary Central PTO and vice president for Partners in Education at Vestavia Hills Elementary East.
Jordan said she hopes to use her experience as an educator, parent and community volunteer to contribute to the board’s “mission and success.”
“Over the past 13 years, I have truly valued my time as a PTO volunteer in each of my children’s schools,” Jordan said in her application. “As their time as VHCS students nears its end, I feel a call to becoming a board member might be my next step to continue serving our community and supporting our school system.”
Kelly Rainer
Rainer owns Career Personnel Services along with her husband and has two students in the school system, along with one who has already graduated from VHHS.
In addition to owning the business, she works with Down Syndrome Alabama to advocate legislatively for those with Down Syndrome. She has also done legislative advocacy for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitative Services and serves as a volunteer leader at Vestavia Hills Methodist Church. Rainer also serves on the VHHS PTO as an open house representative, is on the executive PTO council and is a contract hurdle coach with the high school.
Jack Anderson III
Anderson is a retired member of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force and also serves as a master sergeant in the Alabama Air National Guard. He is also a senior Linux administrator.
Anderson has two children in the school system and another who will join in a couple of years. In his application, he said he feels like he could be helpful in the area of “ethics, reasoning and continuing education.” Anderson said he trained and taught a “few hundred men” in “individual tasks, professional skills and ethical reasoning” during his military tenure.
Brett Taylor
Taylor is the general manager of Metro Trailer Leasing and holds a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Alabama. He has two children in the school system and one who recently graduated.
Taylor is a 17-year member of Monday Morning Quarterback, a large fundraising arm of Children’s Hospital through the Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation. Taylor said he is personally responsible for $40,000 in contributions during that time. He also served 10 years as a board member and officer of the Birmingham Tip Off Club, the main volunteer force of the Super 7 AHSAA basketball tournament.
Taylor is also an executive committee member of the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl and sells sponsorship packages and promotes the game. He is also a licensed realtor for RE/MAX Southern Homes and broker David Emory.
In his application, Taylor said he wants to serve on the board to make a difference and to support education by “helping make calculated, wise decisions.”
“We have some challenges ahead of us and I feel my business background, my reasoning skills and my ability to communicate will help this board navigate the next few years of implementing programs that will enhance and advance our school system,” Taylor said.
Owen Prescott
Prescott is a lieutenant and watch commander at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and has also recruited, trained and developed school resource officers.
He has four children in the school system and is a lifelong Vestavia resident. Prescott holds a law degree from the Birmingham School of Law and both a master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama.
Prescott is an active member at The Church at Liberty Park and said in his application he is an “effective leader, communicator and problem solver.”
“I would like to offer not only my leadership skills, but also offer unique insight on school safety,” Prescott said. “In addition, the future of our school system is extremely important to me given my four children who attend. I believe the current board members are doing great work in advancing VHCS to a great future and I would be a valuable asset to the team.”
Mary Allison West
West is a realtor with ARC Realty and has two children in the school system.
She also has more than a decade of experience in higher education administration at the University of Alabama, which she said helps her understand the value of leadership and relationships among various constituent groups.
“As an active volunteer in the Vestavia Hills community, I understand the importance of listening to the ideas of others, studying the success of peers and maintaining a clear focus on organizational missions and objectives,” West wrote in her application.
West said she has volunteered with multiple PTOs, in sports and other extracurriculars in the school system.
“If afforded the opportunity to serve as a member of the school board, I would be committed to investing my time and skill set where it matters most to me -- supporting the education of not just my own children, but of all of Vestavia’s children now and in the future,” West said. “My volunteer and board involvements have always aligned with empowering all children to excel to the best of their abilities and encouraging them to step confidently into the person they were created to be.”
Kyle Whittington
Whittington is the owner and president of Meld Financial and has one child in the school system with another coming in a few years.
Whittington is a certified financial planner, a past member of Leadership Vestavia Hills and past president of the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation.
While in Leadership Vestavia Hills, Whittington worked on a class project that focused on the transition of local preschoolers into kindergarten students in the school system. He also served on the financial analysis team for the board’s strategic plan committee.
“As a lifelong Alabama resident, I have always known VHCS to be a strong school system, essentially providing a private-school level education in a public school setting,” Whittington said. “This is a major reason I decided to reside in Vestavia Hills. I want to be involved in continuing to advance the excellence the school system has always provided and feel my leadership skills can be beneficial.”
