Seth Hunt Elected Chairman of Burke County Board of Education in Close Vote, Aaron Johnson Named Vice-Chair

The Burke County Board of Education voted 4-3 at its Dec. 4 meeting to elect Seth Hunt as chairman for the upcoming year.

Outgoing Chair Wendi Craven nominated Hunt as her successor. Craven and Hunt, along with fellow board members Don Hemstreet and Jane Sohovich, voted for the eventual winner.

Board member Leslie Taylor also nominated Aaron Johnson, who served as vice chair during the past year, for the leadership position. Taylor, Johnson, and fellow board member Tiana Beachler voted for Johnson.

Hunt was appointed to the board in 2022 to fill the vacant seat left by the death of R.L. Icard. His seat will be on the ballot in the March Board of Election primary as well as the November general election.

Following Hunt’s election as chair, the board voted unanimously to elect Johnson as vice-chair following his second nomination by Taylor. 

“Thank you for the support of the board,” Hunt said, following his election. “I will endeavor to honorably serve.”

Sandra Wilkerson Queen is the education and business reporter for The Paper. She may be reached at 828-445-8595, Ext. 2002, or via email at sandra@thepaper.media.