Walsh Elected New Concord School District Board Of Education President

CONCORD, NH — The Concord School District Board of Education has a new president.

Pamela Walsh, a citywide school board member, was elected by a 8-0-1 vote on Tuesday during orientation, the first board meeting of 2024. Barbara Higgins, another at-large school board member, was the single abstention vote. She nominated Bob Cotton, another at large school board, for board president, but he declined the nomination.

Walsh, who was first elected in 2020, after winning a one-year seat to fill out the remainder of the term of Jennifer Patterson, spent the last year as the vice president of the board.

Walsh is a long-time Democratic activist in the city who works as an advisor to U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan and previously worked as the chief of staff to Gov. John Lynch.

Brenda Hastings, a former SAU 8 teacher who was just reelected to a second three-year term for the Zone C seat, representing Wards 8, 9, and 10, was elected vice president. She received five votes, while Cara Meeker, a Zone B school board member representing Wards 5, 6, and 7, received four votes.

Meeker was later nominated to be secretary for the board and was unanimously approved.

Also joining the board was Liz Boucher, representing Zone B, and Jess Campbell, representing Zone (Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4). Both Boucher and Campbell were elected in November.

All nine members confirmed their addresses on Tuesday, which is essentially the way members are sworn in to serve on the board.

After orientation, the board held its regular monthly meeting.

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