Meet the candidates of the Avon Community School Corporation
These five seats on the Avon Community School Corporation Board of Directors represent Washington Township. Two of these positions will be part of the fall elections.
Washington Township
Two positions are available.
Greg Dana
Greg Dana is a member of the Board of Directors and is the current Vice President. He is the Associate Director of Academic and Membership Affairs for the NCAA, where he has worked since 2010. He has also worked as the Director of Client Relations for the NCAA Eligibility Center and Financial Controller for a few different companies, such than Champion Auto Racing teams, Inc, according to its LinkedIn page. Some of Dana’s platform points include reducing class sizes, using data to determine educational decisions, advocating for increased teacher pay, attempting to reduce the rate of referendum taxation and prudent budget management. Dana has two children who attend Avon Schools.
Learn more about Dana at https://www.facebook.com/greg4avonschools/.
Shawna Lake
Shawna Lake has worked as a certified surgical technologist since 2014. She served eight years in the US Air Force, working in health services management. Lake was shown in a social media post as being at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, the day the building was attacked. According to Lake’s website, part of the reason she wanted to run is because she believes school systems fail students and students are exploited for political gain. Lake has a school-aged daughter who attends a private school “because of the cesspool of madness that government-funded education has been allowed to become,” according to her website. She has two other children who are not of school age. Some of Lake’s points on his platform include supporting parents’ rights, focusing on academic excellence over more political issues, and providing students with the right learning environment and tools. Lake is endorsed by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, Indiana Family Action PAC and Purple for Parents Indiana.
Learn more about the lake at https://www.lake4schoolboard.com/.
Anita DowningOverton
Anita Downing-Overton is the current Secretary of the Board of Avon Community School Corporation. She worked for 26 years as a human resource management specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control Center in Indianapolis and is now retired. She volunteers for the school and has continued to attend events for sports teams, band and other groups. The Downing-Overton platform focuses on making decisions with all students, parents, staff and faculty in mind. She has five grandchildren who attended Avon Community Schools. She is supported by former CCAA Superintendent Maggie Hoernemann.
Find out more about Downing-Overton at https://www.anitadowningoverton.com/.
Sarah Parent
Sarah Parent is currently Director of Client Services for software company Ntracts, Inc., where she has worked for over eight years. Parent also worked as an elementary school teacher for the Avon Community School Corporation for over 11 years. Since 2014, she sits on the board of directors of Oriole Defenders, a grassroots organization that aims to promote student and community success by empowering CCAA students, teachers, and staff. This candidate’s platform revolves around increasing awareness of how taxpayers’ money is spent, providing multiple educational avenues for students, continuing to work with local law enforcement to safety plans, increasing mental health supports for children and ensuring education is inclusive for children. economic access, race, ethnic origin, nationality or social status of their family. She is a parent of the CCAA. Some of Parent’s mentions are Kim Woodward, an Avon School Board member since 2004, Maggie Hoernemann, former superintendent of the ACSC, and the Avon Teachers’ Federation.
Learn more about Parent at https://www.parent4avonschools.com/.
Jennifer Smith
Jennifer Smith has worked in the health care field for 13 years. Smith’s school board platform focuses on building strong partnerships between administrators, educators, and parents. If elected to the board, she plans to implement policies and goals that will support teachers and staff and lead to academic success, provide children with a safe environment where they can be actively engaged and respected, and ensure that that the voice of parents is represented. Smith has two children who are students at CCAA. She is endorsed by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and Purple for Parents Indiana.
Learn more about Smith at https://jennifer4avonschoolboard.com/vision.
What you need to know about voting
Early in-person voting has already begun in Indiana and will end Nov. 7 at noon.
Hendricks County has voting centers regardless of address. See a list for the general elections here: bit.ly/3C1I6oM.
Voters can also vote by mail but must request a ballot no later than October 27 or 12 days before the November 8 general election.
To request a postal vote, you must meet the requirements, which can be found online at in.gov/sos/elections/voter-information/ways-to-vote. You can apply online or by mail or hand delivery The app to your county election commission or Indiana electoral division. You can also send the application by e-mail to elections@iec.in.gov.
Once received, you must return the ballot to your local county election office. Ballots must be received by election officials by 6 p.m. on Election Day or they will not be processed.
