Our Meet the Board series kicks off with Mike Overman, School Board Member and father of two students at St. Anthony - New Brighton Schools. Let's learn more about Mike!

My wife, Marnie, and I moved to St. Anthony in 2014 because we were thinking long term about where our kids would go to school and what kind of community we wanted them to grow up in. I have two kids – Maude is in sixth grade and enjoying her start at SAMS and Malone is a fourth grader at Wilshire Park. We also have two cats (Walt & Omar) and a 10 month old “puppy” named Thora (puppy is in quotes because she’s 70 lbs).

I’m not a native Minnesotan and spent chunks of my life in Kentucky, Kansas City, Texas and California. I enjoy theater and movies and lived in Los Angeles for ten years prior to Minnesota. I spent time there building creative skills (improv & sketch writing) at the Groundlings Theater then later worked in finance for NBC TV Studios. I currently work for River Road Entertainment which produces films and has offices in Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Locally, outside of the school board, I’m on the leadership team with the Voyagers in St. Anthony, a family program for fathers and children (K-5) whose goal is to strengthen family bonds and our community through activities and service projects.

I decided to run for school board because I believe the strength of the St. Anthony community is reflected in its schools. We have dedicated teachers, staff, parents and students that all contribute to making this a special place. It’s an honor to serve the community as a board member and I try to bring the strengths of my background, both life and career, to the position.

I'm proud to be a part of a school board that truly wants all students to be in a position for success. On our end, this requires us to know who they are so we can inspire them to reach as high as they can. One of our success metrics is to ensure that each student has access to an educational environment where they know they belong. This will provide students the support they need to be successful.

In addition, we, the school board, all have a common goal in making SANB schools an inclusive and encouraging place for all to learn. While we don’t always have the same thoughts on how to get there, that’s okay – diversity of opinion is a strength if handled properly. This school board is built on a foundation of respect for one another and understands the value of listening. We hear each other out and at the end of the day we know that while we may not always agree on specific issues, we’re supportive of one another and the board’s direction as a whole.

I’m the board representative for Community Services, attending advisory council meetings for community and early childhood programs. If you have comments, questions, ideas about the school district, feel free to reach out to me at moverman@isd282.org, I’d love to hear from you!