By Emily Moran
Neil Whitmore, a Virginia Military Institute administrator, was appointed Thursday to fill the vacant seat on the Rockbridge County School Board.
Whitmore and Pamela Whorley, a nurse, were the two residents of Walkers Creek who applied for the interim position on the board. Both candidates were privately interviewed by the four current board members on Jan. 25. The board’s decision was announced at noon.
The position on the board was open because on Nov. 7, the Walkers Creek representative, Jay Lewis, was elected to the Board of Supervisors. Whitmore will serve until a special election when the next general election is held Nov. 6. Whether or not Whitmore runs then, the winner in that special election will serve through 2019, the end of the term that Lewis gave up.
As a long-term resident of Rockbridge County, Whitmore said, he has deep connections with the community and wants to see the school system be as strong possible.
Whitmore graduated from VMI in 1990, returning to Rockbridge County in the late 1990s to work there. He is an associate director of admissions. Because of this experience, Whitmore said, he understands the complexities and challenges of an educational institution.
Whitmore also has been a member of the Rockbridge County Fire and Rescue system for over 10 years. This service, he said in an email, has given him a “deeper insight into what a diverse socio-economic community we live in.”