Three seats on the MRH Board of Education will be up for grabs on the April 2, 2024 municipal election ballot. Two of the open positions carry three-year terms. Incumbent Board treasurer Rachel Goltzman of Richmond Heights and incumbent Board director Julie Francois of Maplewood filed along with Jenny Schmidt and Trent Colbert, both Maplewood residents. Voters will select two from among those four candidates. The third open position is to fill an unexpired term running through April of 2025. Brian Matz and Jamie Tipton, both of Richmond Heights, will compete for that seat.

These profiles were compiled by student members of the MRH Principals Advisory Leadership (PAL) Board, using information and language provided in part by the candidates. The profiles are presented in alphabetical order. You may view the March 11, 2024, candidates forum on our YouTube channel.

Trent Colbert: Trent Colbert is a scientist, an educator, husband to Laura, a proud dad of a MRH High School junior, and an advocate of lifelong learning. He was inspired to run for MRH School Board because of his belief that education should be engaging, even joyful, and he is eager to bring his skills, knowledge, and passion for education to the MRH Board. Trent’s love of education began as a student growing up in Webster Groves. He continued to pursue knowledge at Grinnell College in Iowa, followed by earning a doctorate in biochemistry/genetics from the University of Washington in Seattle. After the birth of his daughter, his family moved to Queretaro, Mexico to be closer to his wife’s family. There he taught at the university level in a biotech program for more than 10 years. Dr. Colbert is extremely proud of his teaching career in Mexico, where he touched the lives of thousands of students who went on to study, obtain advanced degrees, or otherwise make their marks. Trent is happily settled in Maplewood, where he currently works at the BioGenerator, the investment arm of BioSTL. Dr. Trent Colbert has a wealth of experience and expertise to bring to the MRH Board of Education. Schools need to provide the tools students need to learn, and to encourage the enjoyment of learning, because learning never stops and knows no bounds.

Julie Francois: The MRH Board of Education selected Julie Francois on November 16, 2023 to fill the unexpired term of a member who resigned in October. Francois is Global Regulatory Manager with Bayer CropScience. She has served in varying capacities with Good Shepherd School for Children, Maplewood Parks and Recreation Commission, Girls on the Run, Scouts and Mosaic Services. She was MRH School District Citizen of the Year for 2021-2022. Long active in the MRH PTO, Francois has two children attending MRH and has lived in Maplewood since 2009.

Rachel Goltzman: A Richmond Heights resident since 2001, Rachel and her partner, Paul Swier, are raising two children in the MRH School District. She has an undergraduate degree from Boston University, a Master of Arts in Social Work from Washington University, and a two-year post-graduate certificate in mental health therapy. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker for 15 years, including running her own business, she is currently an Office Manager at a small local business. With 22 years of volunteer experience across a variety of areas, including domestic violence awareness, Girl Scouts, youth sports, and cancer fundraising, Rachel continues to serve her community through district and volunteer opportunities.

Brian Matz: Brian has lived in the district for 9 years and has been actively engaged in the education of his four children. He has a wealth of experience in each of the MRH school buildings and has met and built relationships with many MRH educators through the years. Career-wise, Brian started as an accountant. That work gave him strong organizational and analytical skills, and he has been privileged to serve over the years as the finance officer of two non-profits and as a board member at several other non-profits. In the early 2000s, Brian pivoted to education. He has taught humanities courses to college students for the past 20+ years. He is privileged each day to deliver academically excellent education to a diverse group of learners. He also has the joy of teaching high school students. Each summer, Brian is an instructor at the Missouri Scholars Academy, based at Mizzou, for rising juniors across the state. Brian's sympathies are with our district’s teachers. They are the backbone of the district, and they should receive the support they need to give their best to our students. Great teacher support leads to strong morale, greater teacher retention, and, ultimately, an excellent education for all MRH students.

Jenny Schmidt: Jenny and her husband, Adam, residents of Maplewood for the last 19 years, have two daughters, who have attended MRH since preschool. Jenny has volunteered as a soccer coach for MRH Youth Sports for the last 10 years and as a basketball coach for the last 3 years. From August 2017 through April 2022, Jenny served on the Maplewood City Council where she gained extensive budgeting experience and worked with colleagues to increase transparency of and accessibility to City and Council boards, processes, and actions, increase accessibility to information and opportunity for community input and engagement, to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to pass progressive legislation including legislation aimed at helping and protecting renters and those who are food insecure. Jenny has also served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, worked in the field of social work, and worked as a substitute teacher in Chicago Public Schools. Graduating from St. Louis University School of Law in 2009, Jenny has spent the last 14 years representing a group of investment funds in their investment of more than $400 million in over 100 historic rehabilitation projects.

Jamie Tipton: Jamie Tipton graduated from MRH in 2017, and is currently studying Computer Science with a particular interest in data equity and AI ethics. Jamie’s experience at MRH gave them enthusiasm and confidence to pursue what was interesting to them, and the blessings imparted on them by the school allowed them to become the person they are today. Having grown up in a house right on the border of Richmond Heights and Maplewood, and having attended MRH since second grade, it’s safe to say that they understand the community and all its quirks. Always a student, they see every experience as a learning opportunity; now they are interested in learning about political systems from a first person view. The opportunity to do so while advocating for student mental health and educational equality is nothing short of the most exciting thing they have ever done. Jamie looks forward to advocating for the needs of current students from a perspective of empathy and compassion, and hopes to help remind everyone of what really matters: ending the oppression of unmitigated capitalism.

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