Martha Rice has served on the Yakima School Board of Directors since November 1998 when she was appointed to fill a vacated position. In November 1999, Ms. Rice won the election to the board. She was re-elected to the board in 2003 and 2007. She has been an active parent in the Yakima School District for many years, serving on many district level committees as well as an active PTA leader in Yakima since 1989. She has served on the Washington State PTA Board of Directors and the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board. In March 2007, Ms. Rice was appointed to fill the vacant position of Vice President for the Washington State School Directors Association. She went on to be elected as President-Elect in November 2007 and served as its President from November 2008 through November 2009. Ms. Rice has been employed at Hanford since 1980 and currently works for the Hanford Fire Department. She has two grown children who attended and graduated from Yakima schools.

John Vornbrock was appointed to fill an open position on the Board in January, 2005. He received a Bachelor of Science (Industrial Engineering) from Northwestern University in 1970 and a Masters (Hospital Administration) from the University of Michigan in 1972. Mr. Vornbrock moved to Yakima in August, 1978 where he has been continuously employed in several administrative positions with Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital and currently serves as its Senior Vice President- Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Vornbrock has held a number of board and leadership positions in various non-profit organizations in Yakima, including Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health, the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Yakima Sunrise Rotary, and the Yakima Hearing and Speech Center. He has also been active in a variety of youth activities and served the Yakima School District as co-chair of the citizens committee for the 2001 levy. Mr. Vornbrock and his wife, Paula, have three grown children who attended Yakima schools.

Walt Ranta was elected to the Yakima School District Board of Directors in November 2005. He graduated from White Pass High School in Randle, Washington. In 1974, he graduated from Central Washington State College (now Central Washington University) with a BA in Education, majoring in Secondary Social Studies. Mr. Ranta started his teaching career at Washington Junior High in Yakima in 1974. He transferred to A.C. Davis High School in 1981 where he taught a variety of social studies courses, coached sports at both high schools and helped design a new "small school" under a Gates grant. Mr. Ranta retired in 2004 after 30 years of teaching, but continued to work in the field of education as a substitute teacher and coach. He serves in numerous school and community service organizations. Mr. Ranta is married to a retired elementary teacher, has one daughter and a son-in-law who are both teachers, and two grandchildren.

Jim Scoggins was elected to the Yakima School District Board of Directors in November 2009, returning to the board after resigning in 2006 to care for an ailing family member. Mr. Scoggins was originally elected to the board in 2001 and re-elected in 2005, serving five years before his resignation. He graduated from Kennewick High School and the University of Washington with a BA in English and Education. He taught high school English for four years before a career change into the sports-writing field. Mr. Scoggins worked for both the Centralia-Chehalis Chronicle and the Spokesman-Review in Spokane before becoming sports editor of the Yakima Herald-Republic in 1971. He retired in 1998 after serving 27 years in that position. He is married to Bonnie Scoggins, who taught social studies at Eisenhower High School for 31 years before retiring in 2007. They have three grown children, one a middle school teacher in Oregon, and three grandchildren.

Elaine was born in the beautiful Appalachian mountains of Western North Carolina. Her family represented two cultures her mother being a Carolina Tar heel and her father a recent Hispanic immigrant. Elaine graduated from high school and college in Puerto Rico. She earned her Masters degree in elementary education from the College of Charleston and administrative certification credits from the Citadel. She then received an Educational Specialist’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Ball State University and a Doctorate in Educational Administration and Leadership.

Elaine began her career as an educator in Charleston, South Carolina. Her career took her to Incirlik, Turkey, Ramstein, Germany, and later to Puerto Rico. Elaine served as the Superintendent of the West Point Dependent Schools and the Camp Lejeune Schools.

Prior to coming to Yakima, Elaine provided leadership for a geographically dispersed, school system with over 25,000 students, primarily serving the children of America’s military men and women. Her sense of pride and accomplishment from this work is tremendous.

Elaine was selected by the Yakima School District Board of Directors as Superintendent beginning July 1, 2009. Her goal is to add value to the lives of the children and young adults she serves in the Yakima Public Schools and to focus attention on the importance and role of each individual in supporting education and student learning.

Throughout her career, Elaine has distinguished herself as a powerful instructional leader who has had notable success in establishing collaborative leadership teams and creating a climate of open communication among all stakeholder groups. Each year she visits hundreds of classrooms and is a forceful advocate for equitable educational opportunities for all learners, narrowing the achievement gap, and ensuring success for all students.

Elaine would tell you that she has found that Yakima is an amazing place to live, work, raise children and experience traditional values that are grounded in the customs, traditions and ethics of a wonderful and caring community.