4 seek election to 2 seats on Joplin Board of Education

Mar. 26—Joplin voters will select from four candidates April 2 to elect two to the Joplin Board of Education.

Two are current members, board president Rylee Hartwell and John Hird. The other two candidates are Victor R. Sly, a former school district employee, and Derek Gander, a former board member.

—John Hird, 55, has lived in Joplin more than 21 years. He is an executive consultant in supply chain specializing in organizational transformation of underperforming companies. He has worked as an executive in supply chain distribution and logistics over a 35-year career with Fortune 500 companies. He previously was employed as chief supply chain officer for Moran Foods and was vice president of Americold Logistics in Carthage.

Hird earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1991. He also has earned Missouri School Boards' Association Advanced School Board Certification and recently qualified for an MSBA Masters School Board Certification.

He first ran and was elected to the Joplin Board of Education in 2021.

Hird said he is seeking election because "I believe in giving back to the community in which you live. Growing up I was active in our church and scouting where I attained the rank of Eagle Scout. My qualifications are, first and foremost, that my wife and I are parents of four daughters who are between 18 and 35 years old, so we have been parenting for quite a number of years. Additionally, having been a leader in operating many large Fortune 500 businesses over the years, I have a keen insight into how to manage a budget." He also said he can "align the educational goals of our 7,500 students within our school district while balancing and maintaining fiscal responsibility toward our taxpaying community in managing an annual budget of over $125 million."

—Victor R. Sly, 59, is a deputy marshal with the Quapaw, Oklahoma, Marshal Service.

He worked 18 years in the Joplin School District. Before that, he retired from the Joplin Police Department after serving 20 years and worked seven years as a campus police officer at Missouri Southern State University.

Sly is a 1983 graduate of Pittsburg High School and earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Grambling State University.

He said the reason he is running for school board is "to serve my community in any capacity and to become a role model for people who look like me." He continued that he wants to "be an advocate for students, staff, parents and the community," after having spent more than 30 years as a public servant.

—Derek Gander, 51, has lived in the Joplin area for 48 years. He has worked in the construction industry for more than 30 years and has owned and operated Premier Home Inspection for 18 years.

He attended Joplin schools and graduated in 1990 and is a U.S. Navy veteran.

Gander previously served on the Joplin Board of Education from 2017-2023.

"I am interested in being involved with how our kids are being educated," Gander said of his desire to serve on the board again.

"I want to return the focus of the board to educating our students first, then supporting our teachers and staff, and finally to being fiscally responsible. Being a parent, a homeowner and a taxpayer, I know firsthand about how to prioritize and not chase every shiny thing that comes along. We all have limited time, money and energy. We need to make hard choices and I am prepared to do that."

—Rylee Hartwell, 27, is director of football operations and on-campus recruiting at Missouri Southern State University.

He is a graduate of Joplin High School, earned a bachelor of science degree in sociology with a minor in psychology at MSSU and a master's degree in recreation with an emphasis on athletic administration from Northwest Missouri State University.

Hartwell was first elected to the board in 2021 and is running for a second term. He is a member of the Missouri School Boards' Association board of directors.

"As a board member, we are able to be part of a team that is helping form a future generation of Joplin students who are able to live, grow, and contribute to the betterment of Joplin. I believe that I have the experience as a board officer and member and the historical perspective to help continue to move our district forward," Hartwell said.