During its annual organizational meeting on July 1, the Arlington School Board unanimously elected James Lander as chair for the 2014-15 school year. Lander’s term as chair begins immediately and will expire in June 2015. He fills the position held for the past year by Abby Raphael who remains a member of the School Board.
Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez was unanimously elected to serve as vice chair of the School Board for the upcoming year, filling the role previously held by Lander.
Lander joined the School Board on Jan. 1, 2010 and is currently serving his second term. He has been a longtime advocate for the educational needs of children through various leadership roles and positions he has held at the school and countywide levels. He earned his Bachelor of Science, Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and his Masters of Engineering from the University of Virginia. Lander is a veteran of the first Gulf War, having served in Saudi Arabia, and he continues to serve as an officer in the Naval Reserves, having been recalled after 9/11 in support of Operation Iraqi/Enduring Freedom. Lander, his wife, and their daughter live in the Oakcrest neighborhood of Arlington.
Violand-Sánchez joined the School Board on Jan. 1, 2009, and previously served as chair for the 2012-13 school year. She is the founder and chair of the Dream Project, Inc., and founder and past president of Escuela Bolivia Inc. Additionally, she serves on the board of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and the Northern Virginia Community College Board (representing Arlington County). Violand-Sánchez retired from APS in July 2007 as the supervisor of ESOL/HILT. She has two children, James and Julia, who are also educators and graduated from the Arlington Public Schools.