At a regular board meeting on Tuesday, November 28, the Ridgefield School District Board of Directors welcomed newly-elected board members Amber Baker (Director, District 2) and Jake Bredstrand (Director, District 5). The new board members were sworn in after the results of the November 7 election were officially certified. Brett Jones, Director of District 3, was also sworn in after being re-elected to serve another four-year term. The board also selected new officers, electing Brett Jones to serve as board president; Emily Enquist (Director, District 1) as vice president; and Jake Bredstand will serve as the legislative liaison.
Amber Baker. Director of District 2
Baker is a farmer and small business owner, operating the certified organic produce farm Red Truck Farm. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Anthropological Sciences from Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.
“As a long time resident, local business owner, and parent in Ridgefield, I decided to run for our school board with a vision rooted in bringing our community together—acknowledging our differences, and putting aside discomfort and discord, in order to engage in conversations with each other about how we can best support our students and our schools,” Baker said. “I’m grateful for the overwhelming support the community has shown for this vision and am excited to work alongside all of our stakeholders to improve our schools in Ridgefield. I am looking forward to leading with our other board members and I am confident that we will be able to work well together to continue to open up communication channels, engage more of our community in transparent decision-making, and build more trust in our district. Together we have some urgent tasks to tackle right away - selecting our next superintendent and addressing the serious overcrowding in our school buildings. It’s time to get to work!”
Jake Bredstrand, Director of District 5
Bredstrand is the Lead Enterprise Account Manager for Culture Amp, an employee experience tech company. He has bachelor of arts degree in humanities with minors in communication and sports management from Washington State University in Pullman, Wash.
“As the son of two high school teachers, I have a deep passion for and knowledge of the public school system here in Washington,” Bredstrand said. “My personal leadership experience and time serving in various board capacities has me well-prepared for this opportunity. I especially hope to be a voice for the younger families who are settling into Ridgefield and sending their kids to school for the first time. It is an honor to join the Ridgefield School District as a Director, and I look forward to actively representing my constituents.”