Press Release #15/2020-21
Dearborn Public Schools and Henry Ford College (HFC) are proud to welcome the four winners of the recent election to their boards of governance.
Incumbents Adel Mozip and Mary Petlichkoff retained their seats on the board in unofficial election results from Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. They both won six-year terms, along with newcomer Irene Watts. Joining them will be another newcomer Patrick D’Ambrosio, who won a two-year seat on the board. Due to the small number of votes separating the candidates who won seats from those who did not, a recount is possible.
Current Trustees Mary Lane and Dr. Michael Meade did not seek reelection. Their terms end December 31, 2020.
“It has been an honor to serve alongside Trustee Lane and Trustee Meade. They have brought a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise to this board, and their passion for serving the students in our district is obvious,” commented Board President Mr. Hussein Berry.
Dearborn Schools and Henry Ford College are unique in the state as the only public school district and community college that share the same elected board members.
Also unique this year is how the board will transition.
Mr. Mozip was appointed to the board in 2019 to replace a trustee who stepped down. Because he was appointed instead of elected, Mr. Mozip will be replaced on the board by Mr. D’Ambrosio, who won the race to fill the remaining two years of that term. The transition will occur as soon as the election results are certified by Wayne County. Depending on when the results are certified, Mr. D’Ambrosio could join the board in time for the Nov. 16 college board meeting, but it is more likely he would be sworn in before the Nov. 23 school district study session.
Mr. Mozip, Ms. Petlichkoff, and Ms. Watts will start their new six-year terms in January.
Mr. Mozip is a graduate of Fordson High School and the University of Michigan-Dearborn with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a minor in computer science. He also has an MBA from Wayne State University. He works as a senior web and mobile developer for Beaumont Health. He is married with two children.
Ms. Petlichkoff has served for 10 years on the board. She is a long-time member of the Dearborn City Beautiful Commission and is president of the Dearborn Federation of Neighborhood Associations.
Ms. Watts is a former 22-year educator, a Dearborn parent, co-founder and executive director of All Things Michigan, and parent and PTA volunteer for several organizations.
Mr. D’Ambrosio is the founder and former CEO of Metric-Precision Tool, former president of the Dearborn Exchange Club, and a member of the HFC President’s Advisory Council. He also coached football and Little League Baseball.
“I’m excited to welcome our two new board members. I know that they, too, are passionate about our district. All of the trustees are looking forward to hearing their thoughts and ideas and to watching them become an integral part of the board,” said President Berry.
Dearborn Public Schools has almost 21,000 students and a total budget of $312 million. Henry Ford College has about 12,000 students and a budget of $85 million. Nearly 40 percent of Dearborn Public Schools graduates attend Henry Ford College after graduation.
“Thank you to all the candidates who put in the time and effort to run for a position on the board for the school district and Henry Ford College,” said Dearborn Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko. “Congratulations to our winners, and I look forward to working with all of our board members in the years to come. As Trustees Lane and Meade finish their last terms on the board I want to acknowledge the great work that they have done to put students first. ”
HFC President Russell Kavalhuna agreed.
“It takes courage to run for public office, and we are grateful to all the members of our community who are willing to serve,” he said. “We look forward to welcoming our new trustees to the board and working with all board members to continue serving our community and our state. I also want to personally thank Trustees Lane and Meade for their many years of distinguished service to our college and our district.”