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Cori Farris, PresidentBegan Service: January 1, 2016Current Term Expires: December 31, 2023Cori and her husband Jay are residents of Middleburg Heights. They have two children, Benjamin (Midpark ‘13) and Olivia (Berea-Midpark ‘17). Ben graduated from Cleveland State University with degrees in Film/Digital Media and Communication. Olivia graduated from Kent State University, majoring in Aeronautics and Mathematics and is currently commissioned in the United States Air Force.Cori is active in the community having served on the boards of the Middleburg Heights Food Pantry and is currently a long-serving board member of the Friends of the Middleburg Heights Library and Cleveland Archery Club, the oldest archery club in the United States. She also served nearly 10 years on the Middleburg Heights Planning Commission. She was heavily involved in the passage of the 2016 bond issue which allowed for the construction of Brook Park Elementary and Berea-Midpark High School and is currently a Trustee of the Berea Schools Education Foundation. She has served on PTA Boards and the district’s Financial Oversight Committee.Her interests include reading, music and television, and spending time with her family, which includes her Great Dane, Eddie.
Ana Chapman, Vice PresidentBegan Service: January 1, 2014Current Term Expires: December 31, 2025Ana and her husband John (BHS ‘89), a music teacher in the BCSD, live in Berea. They have three children: Julia (BMHS '17) is a graduate of Michigan State University and is a first grade teacher in Michigan, Jack (BMHS '19) is a senior at Ohio State majoring in History, and Carter is a junior at BMHS.As a volunteer in the BCSD schools since 2004, the community, and the Ohio PTA, she’s learned the importance of advocating for children and giving selflessly. Her volunteer positions include serving as a trustee of the Education Foundation, serving on the Committee for Good Schools, chairing several bond issue and levy campaigns, working for the athletic boosters, band boosters, and PTAs at Parknoll, Roehm, Grindstone and PTA Council. She served as president of the Ohio PTA from 2019-2021.She was honored by the White House as a “Champion of Change” for her PTA work in 2012. She has presented workshops at the local, state, and national level for school board and PTA on topics such as labor relations, communication, social media, leadership, and family engagement. She has earned Master Board Member recognition and the Award of Achievement from the Ohio School Boards Association.Ana holds a Master of Education from Cleveland State University and Bachelor of Music from the University of Miami (FL), and is in her thirtieth year of teaching elementary music in the Beachwood City Schools.Ana is Cuban-American, grew up in Miami, Florida, a first generation American and first generation to attend college, and is fluent in Spanish.
Rick Mack, Board Member Began Service: Appointed March 7, 2022Current Term Expires: December 31, 2023Rick and his wife, Shelley, live in Berea. Rick is a retired BCSD Intervention Specialist. Shelley is a Teacher of the Visually Impaired, providing services in Medina County and working for the AT&AEM Center in Columbus. They have two adult married children and two toddler granddaughters.
During Rick’s 30+ years in the District, he taught in each community and at every level. The majority of his career was spent at Midpark HS, where he ended his teaching career as the Special Needs Curriculum Leader and the Head Girls and BoysCoach for both Cross-Country and Track. After retiring from teaching, he continued to coach until 2018.
Rick has been an active volunteer in many different groups over the years, including being an AFS Host parent, a community RecLeague and CYO coach, former Kiwanian, and founder of the Berea-Midpark Solidarity Group. The latter group included students and staff who traveled to El Salvador for seven consecutive summers to build homes and develop solidarity with the people of San Jose Villanueva, ES. Rick continues to mentor former athletes as they move into coaching and other ventures.
Neal Postel, Board Member Began Service: January 1, 2012Current Term Expires: December 31, 2023Neal and his wife Leslie, a supervisor of student teachers at Baldwin Wallace University, live in Middleburg Heights. They have two sons, Ken (MHS '12) and Drew (BMHS '16).Neal and Leslie are both graduates of the Berea City School District, having graduated from Midpark High School in the early 80s. Neal graduated from Ohio State University (1984, 1988), and is currently a dentist, with his practice located in Middleburg Heights. He is active in the community as a member of Kiwanis and Chamber of Commerce in Middleburg Heights. Neal enjoys attending his children’s activities, reading, and bicycling.
Heather Zirke, Board Member Began Service: January 1, 2022Current Term Expires: December 31, 2025Heather and her husband Chris live in Berea with daughter Aurelia (class of 2025) and son Kip (class of 2027). Heather is the past president of Grindstone Elementary and Berea-Midpark Middle School PTAs. She has served as a National PTA Equity Fellow and is currently a member of the National PTA Family Engagement Committee. Heather has been awarded the Berea PTA Council Helping Hands Award, the district’s Be A Titan Award and in 2020 was named Parent of the Year by the Ohio Middle Level Association.Heather has been engaged in the practice of law since 2002. She is currently the Principal of the Zirke Law Firm providing ethics advice and counsel to lawyers and law firms across Ohio. Heather previously served as Bar Counsel and General Counsel for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and as an Assistant Prosecutor for the City of Cleveland.Heather enjoys traveling with her family, reading, live music and art.
