Maria Marchese elected as the Vice-Chair at the Board’s Inaugural Meeting Wednesday night
At its annual Inaugural Board Meeting on December 1, 2021, the York Catholic District School Board elected Elizabeth Crowe, Trustee for Aurora / King / Whitchurch-Stouffville, as Chair of the Board and Maria Marchese, Trustee for Vaughan Area 3: Ward 3 (Woodbridge), as Vice-Chair.
Chair Crowe previously held the position of Chair of the Board of Trustees from December 1998 – November 2015 and from December 2017 – November 2018. She has also held the position of Vice-Chair during her 27 years as a York Catholic Trustee.
At the Wednesday night Board meeting, Chair Crowe was nominated by Carol Cotton, Trustee for Markham, Area 1: Wards 1,2,3, 6 (Thornhill/Unionville), and elected unanimously by her fellow Board members.
“I am honoured to have the support of my fellow Trustees,” said Chair Crowe. “As we lit the first Advent candle this past Sunday, it reminded us that we are waiting in joyful hope for the coming of our Lord. At the same time, at the Board level we too are waiting with joyful hope for a full return to schooling without masks and social distancing.
“In the next year, we will face budgetary pressures due to the ongoing pandemic, the uncertainty of a provincial election, and challenges in the public domain that will question the very existence of Catholic schools. I have no doubt that as a Board we will continue to prove that we put the students entrusted into our care foremost in our decision making so our schools continue to be safe, creative, faith-filled learning environments.”
Vice-Chair Marchese was nominated by the former Chair, Dominic Mazzotta, Trustee for Richmond Hill, and elected unanimously by her colleagues on the Board of Trustees. Vice-Chair Marchese has previously served as Chair from November 2019 – December 2020, and Vice-Chair from November 2018 – December 2019. She has been a Trustee for York Catholic since 2014.
“It is a privilege to again serve as Vice-Chair of the Board,” said Vice-Chair Marchese. “I am ready to work with our new Chair and the Board of Trustees to meet the many challenges brought on by the pandemic to ensure that our students continue to reach their fullest potential.”
The York Catholic District School Board is made up of ten elected Trustees and two non-voting Student Trustees. As elected officials, Trustees are responsible for developing and approving policies, maintaining standards of excellence, representing their community’s perspective and acting as stewards of Catholic Education.
The newly elected Chair and Vice-Chair will serve a one-year term until November 14, 2022. Learn more about the role of Trustee.