The Bainbridge Island School District appointed Robert Drury as board director of District 2 Oct. 23, replacing Erika Borg, who recently resigned.

The appointment comes just 11 days before the Nov. 4 general election.

Drury will serve the remainder of Borg’s term this year as an appointee and can be voted in as a write-in candidate in the general election Nov. 4. If elected, Drury will serve a four-year term and will be sworn in at the Nov. 13 board meeting.

But the playing field is still open. Voters could select another write-in candidate who would replace Drury for a four-year term if they win. Additionally, since Borg’s name will still appear on the ballot, there is a possibility she will still garner more votes than Drury or any other write-in candidate.

Borg has assured the district she will resign again if elected, said BISD communications officer Bridget Lockett. In that situation, the board will reappoint Drury for a two-year term and he would have to run again in 2027.

Boardmembers Jill Anderson, Sanjay Pal, Evan Saint Clair and superintendent Amii Thompson interviewed two candidates — Brian Kuethe and Drury — at a special meeting Oct. 21, after which they discussed each candidate’s qualifications. Drury won the vote of Pal and Saint Clair Oct. 23, with boardmember Kelly Cancialosi absent and Anderson voting for Kuethe.

“Robert’s student-centered perspective and thoughtful responses demonstrated his deep commitment to helping our students grow as creative, critical thinkers who are ready to meet today’s challenges. I look forward to serving alongside Robert on the BISD Board,” said Saint Clair in a news release.

Drury is a retired psychologist and lifelong healthcare advocate specializing in neuroscience. He is currently the president of Canary Systems, an information systems company that focuses on data monitoring for large-scale infrastructure, like mining operations or dams, using artificial intelligence.

He has extensive experience serving on boards and in leadership roles for both private, public and nonprofit entities, including as a member of the Centers for Disease Control’s Hanford Health Effects Subcommittee, which oversaw health issues and concerns at the Hanford nuclear site. He also has some experience teaching classes at the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center and as director of Child Parent Services of Orange County.

While Drury’s financial experience is relatively limited, per his interview, “the board was looking to maintain a well-rounded team, and since we already have members with strong financial backgrounds, his student-centered perspective was especially valuable,” said Lockett.

“My interest is based on my overall assessment of the situation, really not only on Bainbridge, but in a larger sense of the climate in our country, which is not very supportive of education. I really believe it’s a crisis situation that many children don’t get the opportunity to develop that they really need. I think rather than having that as a nice thought — which it is a nice thought — that I should do something specific about it,” said Drury in his interview Oct. 21.

BISD’s progressive approach to teaching and special education support stood out to Drury, as a lifelong mental health professional.

“I think the emphasis on making sure that you see that each student, or each child, has potential that needs to be fostered and accentuated is really important,” Drury said.

Drury cited his experience as a small business owner (referring to his psychology practice) and his financial input on the Hanford Health Effects Subcommittee as a key background for challenges that may arise in financial planning at BISD. In a hypothetical posed in an interview question, he noted that if he had to represent the board following a controversial vote to which he dissented, he would emphasize a broad perspective and invite input.

“I think a director would be wise to try to cultivate a variety of input from potential consumers, the parents of consumers, and all sorts of people, stakeholders in the community,” he said. “And that would possibly make the process work a little bit better, too.”

Kuethe is a strategic financial consultant who has worked with tech companies like Google and Microsoft, and now runs a freelance business as a fractional Chief Financial Officer for environment- and healthcare-focused startups. In his interview, he noted that the district’s budget crisis caught his attention and was the primary motivating factor for his decision to apply for the role.

“I think I have a knack for seeing around corners a bit, and anticipating issues, and helping find ways to remediate those issues before they become full-blown fire alarms and problems,” said Kuethe. “A real important part of financial planning and analysis is collaborative partnership, and I have a lot of experience working closely with key stakeholders — even some that might disagree with me in figuring out ways to tackle meaty issues.”

Kuethe also has two children attending Ordway Elementary School, through which he has seen how important student development is to both the school community and the city at large, he said. During BISD’s budget reduction process, the high level of input from community members showed “creative energy” that could be harnessed to generate revenue for BISD.