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James Warren named to Hollis School Board

HOLLIS – Skip Snyder, chairman of the Hollis School Board, announced the appointment of James Warren to the board during its regular meeting on Oct. 21.

Warren will complete the term of former chairman Bernard Mizula, who resigned in September, and will serve until March elections.

Warren grew up in northern New Jersey and holds a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from William Paterson University and a PhD in cellular and molecular biology from Lehigh University. He is also an officer in the Navy Reserves. He moved to Hollis this past summer when he accepted a position with a biomedical company in Lexington, Mass., developing therapies for rare genetic disorders. Prior to that, he lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia for 15 years.

Although he is a scientist, Warren does have some teaching experience. While in graduate school, he worked as a substitute teacher in New Jersey.

“I come from a long line of teachers, and that has been my No. 1 influence,” he said. “One of my greatest memories is teaching in high school. I was a long-term substitute teacher for advanced math. During that month, my mother taught down the hall from me and my grandmother taught upstairs from me. I was raised in a household where education comes first, the teachers come first. I know how important it is to advocate for the teachers to ensure the community is getting everything they can from those who are very important professionals in our community.”

Warren said his first order of business will be to review the current issues facing the board and gather information needed to make informed decisions.

“I’ve had the pleasure of talking with each (school board) member,” he said. “So far, I’m impressed with everyone’s experience and look forward to learning from them and contributing my own perspective to keep the school district going in the right direction.”

Warren and his wife, Joanne, a pediatric occupational therapist, have three elementary school-aged children.

“I’ve fallen in love with Hollis,” he said. “The kids are really happy with school and their sports programs.”