Melanie Whitehurst is seeking a position on the Quitman Independent School District (QISD) board of trustees. Whitehurst has been a Wood County juvenile probation officer for 15 years and has been active in the community serving on the Quitman Youth Foundation board, Quitman Fire Department Ladies Association and was recently selected to represent Quitman on the Wood County Industrial Commission board of directors.

Whitehurst and her husband, James, have two children in QISD schools. Maddie is a junior high school student and Dax, who is starting kindergarten in the fall of 2015. She made her home in Quitman 17 years ago. Whitehurst was raised in the Texas Panhandle, attended college on a basketball scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Her parents moved to Lake Fork and when she visited them, she was "hooked" on Wood County and Quitman. "Quitman is a wonderful town and I have made many friends here. I am blessed to be a part of this amazing community," Whitehurst said. "I would like to be elected to the school board to help take care of our most precious resource, the children. I want people to understand if it isn't good for my child, it isn't good for yours either. I believe in accountability, focusing on all children and being open-minded to new ideas."

As part of her employment in the juvenile probation office, Whitehurst has to attend trainings focused on children, state law updates and safety. She feels this type of information will be a benefi t the position on the school board keeping everyone informed about legislative updates, juvenile law updates and public education reform.

"I bring 15 years of working with children to the voters of Quitman ISD. I feel education is very important and public education is the foundation to a better tomorrow for children," she explained. "Quitman is where my heart is, this is why I decided to run for a position that I am knowledgeable about in a town I love. "