COLUMBIANA — Two longtime Crestview Board of Education members are hoping to continue their service while a new candidate is hoping for a first term.

Current board President Melissa (Missy) Wellman and board member Edward Miller are running for re-election for the two seats up for grabs this November.

New candidate Michael Ervin, 43, of Leetonia, wants to join the board in order to increase student participation, balance open enrollment, and build trust and transparency.

Ervin said he is committed to putting the community first and that his goal is to restore togetherness, strengthen school spirit, and make Crestview a place where students are proud to participate and families are proud to belong.

“I want to bring back the sense of excitement where kids look forward to competing with neighboring schools and families don’t have to travel counties away to support their children,” he said.

He is married to Katie, a Crestview third grade teacher, and they have two teen children.

His community involvement includes serving on the Crestview Athletic Boosters, Crestview Baseball Diamond Club, and as former Crestview Youth Baseball Association member.

He feels he is qualified to serve on the board because he grew up in a home where education and community were highly valued.

His mother was a teacher for 35 years and his father was a US Marine and welding salesman before his passing.

He also said his professional background has given him strong skills in union negotiations, project management, budgeting, and team leadership.

Ervin is a Springfield Local graduate and attended the Ohio Fire Academy and South Carolina Fire Academy where he earned certifications as a First Responder, Firefighter I & II, Aircraft Rescue, and HAZMAT.

“These experiences instilled in me the values of safety, teamwork and discipline,” he said.

Furthermore, he said that at 23 years of age he became the youngest plant manager in the nation in the cryogenics industry, managing multiple union facilities in Texas. Over the course of a 20-year career in the gas industry he gained extensive experience in safety, operations, distribution, sales, and contract negotiations with both Fortune 500 companies and local businesses across the country, he added.

He launched his own business, Bubble Tech, in 2020 in the Crestview Local School District.

Ervin said his company partners with local restaurants and bars to optimize beverage systems, while also employing local residents and contributing to community events.

As for how he intends to implement his three main goals for Crestview, he said that he would increase student participation by encouraging more students to engage in academics, athletics, arts and extracurricular activities to strengthen both individual growth and district success; balance open enrollment by ensuring that Crestview maintains the right balance between community needs and open enrollment growth, to keep Crestview schools strong and sustainable; and building trust and transparency through responsible fiscal management and open communication.

“I am not opposed to open enrollment. However, I believe it must be used strategically — not simply to make the district bigger, but it make it better. Crestview can maintain excellence while continuing to grow responsibly,” he said.

Board President Missy Wellman, 48, of Leetonia, said she is seeking re-election to continue to serve students and the community with dignity and integrity.

Wellman was originally appointed to the board to fill a vacancy and then was successfully elected to two full terms.

This is her ninth year serving on the board, with the last four as president.

“My journey began as a parent volunteer, then PTO President, substitute teacher, and ultimately a board member. Every decision I make is informed through careful study and commitment to understanding the issues, fostering thoughtful consideration for students, staff, and families,” she said.

Her husband, Chuck, is a Crestview graduate and their son, Zachary, is also a Crestview graduate. Their two daughters currently attend the district.

Wellman is a Cambridge High School graduate and holds a Bachelor of Science from Youngstown State University with a minor in business management.

She also attended Mount Union College’s teacher licensing program.

Her work experience includes Chief Operations Manager for Pathology Consultants in Youngstown where she leads the operational and financial management of a pathology practice serving hospital systems across Youngstown and Ashtabula.

She said her work experience allows her to bring strong business and financial management experience to the board.

In addition, she serves as Public Relations and Social Media Consultant for the Columbiana County Educational Service Center, in which she highlights educational programs and student achievements across the county.

She is a former substitute teacher for Crestview and said she has gained valuable classroom insight across multiple grade levels as a result.

Furthermore, she also serves on the board of the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center, where she represents the Crestview School District, and she is a member of the Ohio School Board Association’s Northeast Region Committee, in which she gives Crestview a voice at the state level.

She believes her three biggest accomplishments while serving on the board are providing leadership and oversight of the new PreK-12 building and athletic complex, advocating and securing roles representing Crestview at the county, regional and state level; and spearheading the Phantom Fireworks Partnership.

With regard to the new building, she said that the modern complex will allow for innovative teaching and learning that will enhance students’ readiness for the next phase in life.

“In preparation for the project I personally invested countless hours touring other newly built schools across the region, on my own time, and at the expense of work, so that I could bring back first-hand knowledge of best practices. This unique perspective has allowed me to make informed decisions and ensure Crestview’s new campus is the best it can be for our students and community,” she said.

She also works directly with architects, construction management, and the state OFCC Commission to see the project through, she said.

“I am particularly committed to seeing our new PreK-12 campus through to completion, ensuring the multimillion-dollar investment benefits Crestview students,” she said.

As for advocating and securing roles representing Crestview, she said that she volunteers her time to ensure that Crestview has a strong voice in decisions affecting students and the community locally, regionally, and at the state level, and that these roles allow the district to have a voice in shaping policies and initiatives across the county and state.

She explained that the Phantom Fireworks collaboration is an ongoing program that inspires creativity and provides real-world learning experiences for students.

Through the collaboration students have designed fireworks packaging that was sold nationwide and later expanded into designing t-shirts.

“The project was so successful for both parties that Phantom Fireworks continues to be a presence at multiple grade levels each year,” she said.

Wellman feels voters should choose her to continue serving on the board because she has proven leadership, experience in education and business, regional and state-level connections, student and community focused achievements, and an endorsement from State Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel.

“I have always led with respect, collaboration, and focus on solutions. I believe our community deserves leaders who listen, value all perspectives, and make thoughtful decisions that put all students first. Crestview is at a pivotal moment, with our new PreK-12 campus well into the final stages of development. Decisions made during this phase will have a direct impact on all that as been accomplished so far, making it essential that the experience board members who have guided this project from the start, such as myself, working directly with architects, construction management, and the state OFCC commission, remain in place to see it through to completion,” she said.

Incumbent Edward Miller, 56, of New Waterford, has served on the Crestview Board of Education since 2011, when he was appointed to fill an unexpired term.

He was then elected to serve in 2013, 2017, and 2021.

He is a 1987 Crestview High School graduate, a Youngstown State University graduate, and NEOUCOM graduate.

He completed his Internal Medicine Residency from Western Reserve Care System in 1997.

His work experience includes the Western Reserve Care System and Primary Care Office in Boardman, now known as Southwoods Primary Care.

He and his wife Kristen have four children who have all graduated from Crestview.

Miller said he is seeking re-election on the basic premise of community involvement and engagement.

“I have been lucky enough to serve the community, students and schools as board member, now completing my fourteenth year. I hope that the community continues my tenure as I am able to finish what we started as the building project, as well as continued efforts of vertical alignment with our academic curriculum,” he said.

During his time on the board he said he is happy to see the implementation of the 1 to 1 computer initiative with students, the Performing Arts Center, sports facilities, newly constructed training center, and the current building project.

“Our students will have some of the most up to date state of the art facilities in the Tri-county area,” he said.

He added that his biggest source of pride, however, is being a Crestview graduate himself and having a family of Crestview graduates.