Six candidates will be on the ballot May 21, 2024, for two board of education seats. 

Here are short biographies of each candidate in the order in which they will appear on the ballot.

 

Shauna Best

• Commercial Planner, Town of Wallkill; former owner and director Very Best Preschool
• Lives in Wallkill; district resident for 48 years

Shauna Best is a graduate of SUNY Orange and SUNY New Paltz, where she received a degree in elementary education. For many years, she owned and directed the Very Best Preschool in Middletown. Currently, she is a commercial planner for the Town of Wallkill. She attended both Circleville Elementary School and Circleville Middle School She and her husband have four children; one is a Pine Bush High School graduate currently attending college; three are in Pine Bush schools – one each at PBHS,  Circleville Middle School and Circleville Elementary School. Ms. Best is a volunteer at Circleville Elementary School, as well as with Town of Wallkill community events. She volunteers with the Friendly Visitor program, the Hudson Valley Food Bank and is on the board of directors of the Orange County Childcare Council. This is her first time running for the school board.

 

Lisa Dyer

• Adjunct Assistant Professor of Nursing, SUNY Orange; Registered Nurse
• Lives in Bloomingburg; district resident for 37 years

Lisa Dyer has been in the nursing profession for 46 years. She has two decades of experience in healthcare management and 15 years in higher education. Dyer received her Master of Science degree in nursing education from Excelsior University, her Bachelor of Science degree in business, economics and healthcare management from SUNY Empire and her Associate of Science degree in nursing from SUNY Rockland. Dyer has a grandchild in the district. Her two adult children graduated from Pine Bush High School. She has served several terms on the parish council at her church, Our Lady of the Assumption. This is Dyer’s first time running for the school board.

 

Ross Tompkins

• Division manager for Kriss Law Atlantic Closing and Escrow; co-owner Pineapple Day Spa
• Lives in Shawangunk; district resident for 58 years

Ross Tompkins is a graduate of Pine Bush High School Class of 1982. He attended SUNY Orange and SUNY Dutchess, studying business management and human resources, as well as real estate development. He has more than 30 years of experience in the banking and real estate businesses. He is completing his second term on the board of education. He has three children, two in Pine Bush High School and one a graduate of PBHS. He is assistant scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 37 in Pine Bush, a past president for the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women (NAPMW), a member of Hudson Valley MBA, and a member of Mountain View Methodist Church.

 

Peter Agro

• High School Math Teacher, Monroe-Woodbury
• Lives in Crawford; district resident for 19 years

Peter Agro received his Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY New Paltz, and a Master of Arts degree from Brooklyn College both in secondary mathematics education. He also earned a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Administration from SUNY New Paltz. Agro has been a teacher at Monroe Woodbury for the past 22 years. In addition to teaching high school, Agro has also taught college math and worked in the private sector as both a credit analyst and a business systems analyst on Wall Street. He and his wife have one child who attends Pine Bush High School. Agro served on the Pine Bush Board of Education from 2015 to 2018, serving on the district’s Audit Committee and as president from 2017 to 2018. He did not seek reelection because of a health issue at the time. Agro is a former cub scout leader and T-ball coach, and volunteers for the Beautiful People organization.

 

Phillip J. Salinardi

• New York State Police Investigator; veterans of the US Marine Corp. 2002-2010
• Lives in Shawangunk; 13-year resident of the district

Phillip J. Salinardi is a graduate of SUNY Empire State College, receiving a bachelor of science degree in community and human services. He volunteered for 11 years as a travel coach with the Town of Wallkill Soccer Club. Salinardi’s wife, Tracey, is a graduate of Pine Bush High School. Three of his step-children are PBHS graduates and one is currently a PBHS student. This is his first time running for the school board.

 

Matthew Watkins

• Self-employed – GOALS Development Company
• Lives in Shawangunk, lifelong resident of the district

Matthew Watkins received an associate’s degree in marketing from SUNY Delhi and a bachelor’s degree in general business from Penn State University. Watkins has served as a councilman in the town of Shawangunk and a trustee for the Pine Bush Area Public Library. He and his wife have three children, all graduates of Pine Bush High School. Watkins served on the school board, from 2016-2017, and from 2019 to the present.