Board of Education
The Maplewood Richmond Heights School District is organized and governed by a seven-member Board of Education pursuant to Chapter 162 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, as amended. The voters of the district elect the directors of the Board for three-year staggered terms, with two directors elected in two successive years and three directors elected every three years. All directors are elected at-large and serve without compensation. The Board of Education is responsible for all policy decisions. The president of the board is elected by the board from among its members for a term of one year and has no regular administrative duties.
Board Meetings
For the foreseeable future (or while the district buildings are closed during pandemic) Board meetings will be over video chat but public comment is still allowed in that format. A link will be published each month prior to the meeting.
Regularly scheduled Board of Education meetings are held in the library/media center at MRH High School, 7539 Manchester Road, Maplewood. Meetings typically begin at 7:00 p.m. with a public forum. Notices and agenda are posted before every meeting at the Central Administrative Office, 7539 Manchester Road, and on Board Docs. Minutes from meetings are also posted at that link.
If you'd like to participate in the public forum section of the next monthly MRH Board of Education meeting, please click here.
Regular monthly board meetings will be live-streamed and archived here.
** SPECIAL NOTICE: THE MAY 21, 2020 REGULAR BOARD MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT, DUE TO CURRENT RESTRICTIONS ON PUBLIC GATHERINGS. Information here.
Board Policies
MRH Board policies are in place to give the district operational guidelines. Policies ensure that the district functions in accordance with state and federal law. The Board of Education refers to the policies as it makes decisions for the district.
All MRH board policies may be accessed and searched by keyword at Policy Online.
Board Members
To send written correspondence to a Board of Education member, send it to that member's attention to: MRH School District, 7539 Manchester Road, Maplewood, MO 63143.
Katie Kaufmann
President (term expires April 2020)
(314) 313-5670
Katie Kaufmann joined the Board of Education in April 2014. She is currently the Director of St. Louis Ready by 21, a collective impact approach to improving outcomes for children and youth across St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. Katie began her career as a middle school math teacher and department chair at Lift for Life Academy in the City of St. Louis. She has eight years of experience in nonprofit leadership and management with expertise and passion around developing the talent of others and leveraging the expertise of diverse constituents. Katie and her husband have been residents of Richmond Heights since 2006.
Francis Chmelir
Vice President (term expires April 2020)
(314) 644-6977
francis.chmelir@mrhschools.net
A resident of the MRH district for over twelve years, Francis Chmelir lives in Maplewood with his wife Beth, their daughter Emma, and sons William and Paul, who are both MRH students. Francis Chmelir currently serves as the Director of Operations for Lashback, LLC, an innovative tech company delivering unique and actionable insights in the world of email marketing. Francis has a deep history of contributing to the growth of scalable, technology companies. Most recently Francis served as the Executive Director for ITEN, a catalyst of the tech startup ecosystem in the St. Louis region. Previous professional roles include serving as Director of Operations and a founding member of the Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC) incubator and the Statewide Director for MoFAST, a part of the University of Missouri system program for technology commercialization. In 2016, Francis was named a St. Louis Business Journal 40-under-40 honoree and selected to be a member of the 41st Leadership St. Louis class of Focus St. Louis. St. Louis Small Business Monthly named Francis one of the “100 St. Louisans You Should Know” in 2017. Francis has been involved in the district in numerous ways, including serving on the long-range planning committee. His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University with an emphasis on organizational psychology, and graduate work at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and University of Missouri-Columbia. Since 2016, he has also served on the board of Joe's Place, an MRH-affiliated residence for homeless young men.
Wesley Robb
Treasurer (term expires 2021)
(314) 267-0525
Wesley (Wes) Robb, a resident of Maplewood and environmental consultant with Wellington Environmental, has been active in the school district and community for many years. He sat on the City of Maplewood’s Design and Review Board for seven years, and served as its chairman for the last three years. He has also been part of the school district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) committee, and the last two Long-Range Facilities Study Committees. Wes and his wife, Jackie, have a daughter, Gwen, attending MRH Middle School. He joined the Board of Education in August 2014.
Maria Langston
Secretary (term expires April 2020)
(314) 644-6760
Maria Langston began her first term on the Board of Education in April 2008 with years of experience working on behalf of the MRH School District. She served as president of the Early Childhood Center PTO for three years, and has served as parent representative on the Teaching and Learning Council, the Academic Calendar Committee and in the Comprehensive School Improvement Program planning process. She and her husband, Mark, are the parents of two MRH students. Together, they were named the district's "Family of the Year" in 2007. Maria is the Assistant Vice President and Community Development Officer, St. Louis Community Credit Union.
Nikylan Knapper
Director (term expires April 2022)
nikylan.knapper@mrhschools.net
Nikylan Knapper was elected to the Maplewood Richmond Heights School Board on April 2nd, 2019. She is a resident of Maplewood with her husband Sam, 6 year old MRH ECC 1st grader Teddy, twin 2 year olds Lyndon and Grant, and pup Noel. She has served as a Cub Scout leader, an MRH PTO ECC Co-Chair, and a Youth Soccer Coach for MRH Youth Sports. She is a Federal Administrative Judge for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and previously was an attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and an Assistant Public Defender in Nashville, TN.
Ralph Posley
Director (term expires April 2021)
(314) 645-4993
Ralph E. Posley has been a resident of Richmond Heights for over 25 years. He has been married to his wife, Addie, for 30 years. They have seven children, three of whom attend the MRH Early Childhood Center. One of their three grandchildren, Lily, is enrolled in the Head Start Program at ECC. Ralph has been employed for seven years with Covidian Healthcare Pharmaceuticals as a lab assistant and dispatcher. He is also Pastor of the Word of God Christian Church in Richmond Heights. He was awarded the 2008 Citizen of the Year Award by Unity Pact.
Brandi Herndon-Miller
Director (term expires April 2022)
Brandi Herndon-Miller is a lifelong resident of the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District. She is a family and criminal law attorney with offices in Clayton. She graduated from Mary Institute/ Country Day School and also attended Xavier University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she obtained her law degree. Herndon-Miller has two daughters attending MRH and has long been active in district affairs.
