Puget Sound Educational Service District 121 (PSESD) confirmed new and returning board members by oath at its regular Board of Directors meeting held on Wednesday, January 17, 2024.

PSESD also welcomed its newest board member Shahrzad Shams for a four-year term representing District 4 (Lake Washington, Riverview, Skykomish, and part of Northshore).

In addition, PSESD welcomed back returning board members Annie Laurie Armstrong, elected for a four-year term representing District 2 (Bainbridge Island, Vashon Island, and parts of Seattle), Joanne Seng, appointed for a two-year term representing District 6 (Auburn, Dieringer, Enumclaw, Snoqualmie Valley, Sumner-Bonney Lake, Tahoma, and part of Puyallup), and Marcella Tomlin, elected for a four-year term representing District 8 (Peninsula, Tacoma, University Place, and part of Puyallup).

Current board member Barbara Peterson, who represents District 7, will serve as the PSESD Board Chair in 2024, alongside Board Vice Chair Marcella Tomlin.

“Guiding and supporting our agency to achieve our stated End of ‘Success for Each Child and Eliminate the Opportunity Gap by Leading with Racial Equity’ is the primary duty of the PSESD board,” said John Welch, PSESD Superintendent. “I am confident our new board member will help us to continue our forward progress in this vital work.”

ESDs are governed by a board of directors consisting of seven or nine citizens who are accountable to and elected by the school board members in the region’s public-school districts. The board members represent geographic director districts based on U.S. census data. The ESD boards provide direction to their superintendent, who is advised by local school district superintendents.

Introducing Shahrzad Shams, District 4

Shahrzad Shams leads Peyvand, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering underrepresented immigrant youth through art, cultural engagement, and education. Shahrzad is a former elementary school teacher and retired faculty member of the University of Washington’s Persian and Iranian Studies Program. There, she helped to build a robust Persian-language program and as a liaison, forged a strong connection with the Iranian American community in Washington State. Her years of community organization and cultural advocacy have made the Persian and Iranian Studies program a model for public-facing engagement.

As a first-generation Iranian American who has lived in the United States since 1975, Shahrzad has observed, and empathizes deeply with, the challenges faced by immigrant and refugee youth. Her commitment to PSESD’s board is rooted in recognizing the necessity for their representation and advocacy.

“I recognized the importance of immigrant youth perspectives on the board,” Shahrzad explains. “My duty as a PSESD board member is to ensure that every student, irrespective of their origin or background, enjoys a fulfilling journey of knowledge and skill acquisition. I am particularly dedicated to fostering that same experience for underrepresented immigrant and refugee students as they settle into their new home. I envision achieving this goal by helping schools to be intentional in adopting a safe and inclusive space of belonging for immigrant and refugee youth so that they can participate fully in academic and extracurricular activities like other students. My hope is to cultivate a supportive community within and beyond their schools, nurturing an environment where they can thrive and develop into fulfilled, skilled individuals poised to make impactful contributions as world citizens.”

The PSESD board meets monthly, and the public is always invited to attend. Agendas, meeting minutes, meeting recordings, and policies are available on BoardDocs at https://go.boarddocs.com/wa/psesd/Board.nsf/Public.

Please contact Renee Hill in the Superintendent’s Office at rhill@psesd.org or 425–917–7602 if you need assistance for translation, interpretations, or other requests or information about board meetings. Learn more about all of our PSESD Board of Directors at http://www.psesd.org/about-psesd/board-of-directors.