Kasha Brackett

From a parent to a teacher, to a board member, Kasha Brackett’s involvement with the Revere community extends deep into the culture of the district.

Brackett began her involvement at Revere by enrolling her three kids in the district after moving to the area from Columbus. Her interest in becoming a board member stemmed from her teaching position at the elementary level.

“When I worked at the district as a teacher in the elementary schools, I would pay attention to the things that I was seeing coming from the leadership of the district. Obviously, I’m a parent in the district, as well as at that time, an employee. Looking at it from multiple angles had me interested,” Brackett said.

The combination of her role as a parent in the community and a teacher in the community allowed her to provide opinions from the staff and other parents.

“When I left teaching, I was interested in running to see if by chance I could give a voice to not just the parent side, but a voice to the inside of the building. . . . Also, from the student perspective. Because I  taught every kid, I saw the broad scope of the students that were coming through and their experience,” Brackett said.

Although the passion for a stronger voice drove Brackett to run for a position, the journey was not simple.

“[Campaigning] is a lot of work because you are essentially selling yourself. You are trying to get people to know you, understand your perspective and understand what voice they would be voting for. Getting your name out there is a lot of it. It’s a lot of name recognition work,” Brackett said.

The process of marketing is imperative to the success of a candidate. Brackett used traditional methods of campaigning.

“[We] mailed things, [we] put ads in the newspaper, [we] put signs in people’s yards; a lot of communicating and making sure that you’re available for people to ask questions. It takes a lot of time and effort to get your message out there and let people know you’re running,” Brackett said.

Aside from being a general member on the board, Brackett was recently elected as the board president.

“My goal as far as the board’s relationship with the community is to broaden transparency. [We] make sure that we expand the ways that the community understands what we are discussing and what things are going on in the district. . . .  In a sense, I’ve taken efforts already to change the way we are talking at our work sessions,” Brackett said.

Managing a team of intelligent people who are trying to share their opinions can be very difficult. Brackett makes sure that the community is heard as well as all the board members.

“There has to be compromise of course. It’s five different people. We have five different opinions,” Brackett said.

Working with five members can be difficult, but the passion Brackett holds never dwindles.

“I encourage people to stay involved and aware of what’s happening with our schools. It’s really important. We’re building the future generations into the leaders of the world ahead of us. It’s important to stay aware and be engaged with the schools,” Brackett said.

Jennifer Burke

Inspired by her position at the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center (CVCC) in 2023, Jennifer Burke decided to give back to the academic community by running for the Revere school board.

Burke made the decision to run for the position, and individually campaigned before she partnered up with Jeff Bowler, another school board member, to campaign for the election.

“We each had our own campaign committee and funds, we individually did separate things. For example, social media. We did our own social media posts. . . . It [was] much more economical for us, using our funds to join some things together,” Burke said.

Outside of the financial benefits, Burke appreciates the duo’s individual skills that worked well.

“He was really strong in speaking, writing and connecting with people; my strength was more in the organization and running things behind the scenes. . . . I think the key point to being a really great team is that we have such a deep mutual respect for each other,” Burke said.

Even when disagreements arose, the pair worked them out professionally to reach a compromise that benefited both parties.

Outside of social media marketing, Burke utilized local resources to market herself.

“We had ads in the Richfield Times and the Bath  Journal. We also held meet and greets. We did three or four where we reserved a room at one of the public libraries and invited the community to come and talk to us. That ended up being pretty popular. . . . There were a number of people who asked us to come and speak to their friends, neighbors and groups. . . . We also had a billboard,” Burke said.

Burke described the positive change that the new team is bringing to both small members-only meetings and board meetings open to the public.

“The two big things that came out of the campaign that we heard over and over from the community members is collaboration and transparency. We’re already starting to see a lot more conversation happening at our board meetings. We just had a special meeting where every single board member spoke to policy changes, things that they wanted to see, which I thought was great,” Burke said.

The group works well together. Even when there is a difference in opinion, the team is able to work together with respect to create solutions. Burke described the necessity to separate personal beliefs from what the Revere students need.

“Each person at the table is sacrificing their time and their energy to be there to make the best decisions for the kids in the district. . . . It is a lot easier to work through some of the disagreements and conflicts [when you] know that it’s not personal towards me and it’s certainly not personal towards any of the other board members; that we truly are there because we want what’s best for the kids,” Burke said.

Burke enjoys working through the conflicts to benefit the community. Even when the position becomes stressful, Burke is willing to work through the stress for the kids.

“I’m so honored to be able to serve the communities and the district. I’m really looking forward to what we’ll do,” Burke said.

Burke was recently elected as the BOE’s vice president.

Natalie Rainey

At the start of her leadership at Revere, Natalie Rainey was the president of the Richfield Elementary Parent Teacher Association (PTA). After positive feedback from the community, Rainey made the decision to run for a position on the school board.

Rainey has three kids in the district. After her children aged out of Richfield Elementary, Rainey’s peers in the Richfield PTA encouraged her to begin a campaign after seeing her success as PTA president.

“Parents started saying, ‘You should run for the school board’. I thought, ‘Well, I’ll look into it.’ . . . I looked at it as another way to give back and serve the district,” Rainey said.

Rainey’s ability to communicate was tested countless times as PTA president, but her current role magnifies the need for quick and accurate communication.

“When things are running smoothly, it’s pretty quiet. Typically, [we] field several phone calls; sometimes from our Superintendent, sometimes from community members, depending on what’s going on. It’s a lot of communication,” Rainey said.

Even when the work entails dealing with unhappy parents or staff, Rainey enjoys her workload.

“I love doing it, but a lot of times, understandably, when we hear from people, usually they’re upset. Usually, there’s something going on. I still like that part. . . . I’m a people person. We’re making decisions about people’s kids, right? It’s very emotional,” Rainey said.

While the role is enjoyable now, the beginning was challenging. The new members always need to adjust to a new commitment level.

“There’s so much we do that is behind the scenes that we can’t always share. In the beginning, I always wanted to try to overexplain. I’ve learned to really listen. A lot of times people want to be heard and feel like they’re being heard. . . . Honestly, it’s opened my eyes to so many different perspectives,” Rainey said.

Despite hard times, the board is always working to better the Revere community. The new team is working closely with Superintendent Dan White to improve the mental health resources and safety awareness at the schools.

“Mental health, particularly at the high school, is a focus for Mr. White and the counseling team. . . . [We’re] always working with [School Resource] Officer [Scott] Dressler on the latest and greatest in safety and security,” Rainey said.

The new board is working together well despite only meeting a few times since the induction of new members.

“We all definitely have different perspectives on things, which I think is actually really good. I think it’ll be good to show people that in 2026, we can still have different opinions and be professional, productive and collaborative,” Rainey said.

Rainey is looking forward to what the team will provide to the parents, staff and students of Revere.

“I really hope that people know that we really do our best to serve all students. I think that’s always the goal. I know sometimes that can get lost because people do get upset, but this weighs on all of us so heavily every day. We really do our best to try to meet everybody where they are and do what’s best for the district,” Rainey said.

Courtney Stein

Courtney Stein’s involvement with the board began differently from that of the other members of the board. After former member Mike Kahoe moved out of the district, she filled his position. After filling in for Kahoe, she was elected to the board for a full term.

“There was an application process and an interview process. I was selected to be the appointee to replace Mike Kahoe. . . . I filled out an application, went out of town and came back and was notified that I was one they wanted to interview. . . . That was on a Monday evening. I came in and interviewed, and got the call that evening that they had selected me. They asked if I could come in the next day for a work session and to be sworn in,” Stein said.

The process was significantly different due to the need to fill the position quickly. The quick process is seemingly intimidating, but Stein was excited.

“There was a lot going on in the district at that time, so my first meeting was very long. I was getting up to speed on things I needed to be aware of. It was a lot very quickly to learn. . . . There’s a learning curve. There’s a lot to learn, even just the way meetings run and understanding [the policies],” Stein said.

Even though the process was very fast-paced, the team of administrators worked well together. Stein adjusted to the position quickly and began helping make decisions on current issues in the community.

“We had a really great board. We worked together really well and they were really welcoming to me. . . . The advice I was given was to listen and learn at the beginning. There’s a lot to learn when you [join], even if you think you know what you’re doing,” Stein said.

Even though Stein enjoyed working with previous teams, the current board works well together.

“We’ve made some really good decisions. We have some contracts we’re gonna have for approval tonight, which I’m very excited about. We’ve made some good strides with our Richfield Elementary principal’s contracts being extended,” Stein said.

The team works together for the betterment of the Revere staff and student body. Stein’s children have all graduated from the district, but she still holds a deep passion for the community.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity. It’s an honor to serve the community of Revere. . . . I’ve worked really hard to be a good volunteer in my time, now working on the board. It’s come full circle for me,” Stein said.

Jeff Bowler

With roots deep within the Revere community, Jeff Bowler was inspired to run for the school board in order to give back to the local and school community.

“I’ve had twelve family members go through the Revere school system, including my parents, who met at Bath Elementary. . . . My family owns small businesses here. We’ve had a wine and cheese store that opened in 1971, Wineberry Wine and Cheese, Gasoline Alley and my cousin and I own Corkscrew Johnny’s,” Bowler said.

Bowler feels a deep connection to the community, even after living in Washington, D.C. for work. Bowler and his wife moved back to the local area so their kids could go through the Revere school district.

“More and more, we grew a sense that we wanted to give back and we wanted to be a part of the community in some sort of larger way.  We wanted to make sure that we were making a difference beyond just our little family bubble,” Bowler said.

After weighing the options, Bowler decided to begin a campaign to be a member of the school board. Bowler wishes to represent everything he looks for in a political figure.

“There is an opportunity for there to be more integrity and character. For me, it seems like with our elected officials, both at a state level and a federal level, there is a lot of self-interest and not as much interest in doing what [they’re] elected to do. [They] aren’t making sure that [they’re] doing that with integrity and honesty. . . . If you focus on what you can control in your little area of the world, in Bath and Richfield, maybe that could make a difference in turning the tide in terms of elected leaders,” Bowler said.

The work can be overwhelming, especially for a new member of the board. While Bowler works to be the best representative he can, he prioritizes his family over work.

“It’s a lot. Anytime you do something like this, especially as a married man with a family and three children, my priority is always to make sure that my wife and I, when we make decisions, [ask if] this decision [is] going to significantly disrupt our family and what we envision our lives together to be like,” Bowler said.

As the campaign matured, Bowler made the decision to finish the process with Jennifer Burke at his side. The duo worked together, targeting specific skills to increase community outreach.

“The first time we’d ever met, we talked about our vision, what we are passionate about and how we looked at the world. . . . Our main value system and the things that we wanted for Revere were very similar. We felt like we could go into a room, disagree on an issue and not have it be contentious,” Bowler said.

While teaming up with another candidate in local elections is unorthodox, the strategy ended up being successful.

Bowler continues to hold a passion for serving the local community while maintaining the strong bonds within his family.

“Let’s make this the best school district in the country, give our kids the best opportunity to go out and accomplish all of their dreams. Whether it’s to be in politics, sports, marketing or a trade, whatever those dreams are, let’s provide the best runway for those kids. That’s what I hope I can do,” Bowler said.