The following biographies have been submitted by each 2015-2016 Board of Education candidate. Please read over them and remember to come out to vote for our 2015-2016 Budget and Board of Education candidates on Tuesday, May 19 from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. at Peekskill High School.
Lisa Aspinall-Kellawon (Incumbent)
Lisa Aspinall-Kellawon is a Peekskill resident and a first-term Peekskill School Board Member. Her goal is to be an advocate for children by helping them receive a sound education. She believes education opens the doors to most opportunities and provides a foundation from which one can grow and self-actualize, while being a primary building block in a prosperous and financially responsible life.
As a Board of Education Trustee, Ms. Aspinall- Kellawon brings with her over 24 years of teaching experience, most of which she gathered during her time teaching at the Central Harlem School District in New York City. There, she began her career at an early childhood education school servicing students from Pre-K to Grade 2 as a Title I math teacher, second grade common branch teacher, math coach and teacher trainer.
Ms. Aspinall- Kellawon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the College of New Rochelle and a Master’s degree in Multicultural Education from the College of Mount St. Vincent. She is also a member of the group SPARC (Social Progress Advocates for Real Change) and a member of the Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Peekskill.
Ramon Fernandez
My name is Ramon Fernandez, born in New York City. I have been married for 20 years to my wife Elizabeth. We are both college graduates at the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Ureña in the Dominican Republic. We now have three children: Anthony, a Peekskill High School senior; Elizabeth, a Peekskill High School sophomore; and Angelica, hopefully of the Peekskill High School class of 2030.
I fell in love with Peekskill back in 2004 and moved to Peekskill in 2006. At Quaker State Motor Oil Distributor I worked my way up from Sales Representative to Sales Manager and General Manager. Since 2007, I have been a car owner operator with Rio Taxi which allows me to give quality time to my family and serve the community in many ways. Leadership entails hard work and I am not afraid of hard work. In 2012, along with other parents of the community, I contributed to the creation of the Peekskill Youth Soccer Club; a non-profit organization of which I am currently the President.
One of the priorities of this organization is to make available this sport to all interested students while offering more time to play, not just for the playing season, but during the entire year. In this we are attempting to bring better results during the regular school season.
I believe we can create a bridge of communication to allow a positive connection among all Peekskill School District residents. Since 2009, I have dedicated my time to volunteer and to serve as a spiritual leader for the community. For many years I was leader and member of the Charismatic Group of Assumption Church. I visited prisoners at Westchester County Jail in Valhalla and I also make home visits to the sick and homebound. I intend to create a sense of pride in all of the Peekskill School District’s students by moving beyond the status quo, reinforcing what is beneficial to the students while identifying their needs and coming up with creative solutions to meet them. I intend to knock on doors, as many as needed, to bring these solutions to the table.
Colin Smith (Incumbent)
Greetings, residents of the Peekskill City School District! I am pleased to announce my candidacy for re-election to the Board of Education. As a current Board Member, it has been an honor to serve our beloved District over the past three years and I am eager to serve another term. During my time on the Board, I have been privileged to be a part of many exciting changes within our district. Notably among them has been the implementation of the District's reorganization plan and curricular re-alignment. Central to this process was the hiring a new Superintendent, someone who we all know and love, our very own Dr. David Fine. I believe that these changes, along with many others, have put Peekskill City Schools on track to becoming the best in educational opportunities for our students. As our District’s motto states, we are truly striving to become the ‘Peak of Excellence.’
From a fiscal standpoint, I have worked with the school’s administration to produce fiscally responsible budgets that meet the needs and goals of the district while, at the same time, keep us below the tax levy limit so as not to impose an unreasonable burden on our taxpayers.
Personally, I am a lifelong resident and product of the Peekskill Schools. I graduated from Peekskill High School in 1991. Professionally, I am an attorney with offices here in Peekskill and I am dedicated to serving the members of our community. If re-elected to the Board of Education, I vow to continue fighting to increase and enhance the educational opportunities of our kids. Call me old-fashioned, but I am still a firm believer that a solid education is foundational to a successful and fulfilling life. Additionally, better schools mean enhanced property values and that is better for everybody. As a member of the Peekskill City School Board, I will continue to make every effort to ensure that our students receive the education they deserve.
Thank you for letting me serve you until now and I hope you allow me to continue to serve for the next three years!
