Meet the Board

President

Karen Pietrzyk
First Elected May 2008
Term ends December 31, 2020

Karen has been a lifelong resident of Center Line, residing with her husband John over 35 years on the same street where she grew up. All four of their children graduated from Center Line, and three of the four now reside in the school district with their families. Five of their seven grandchildren attend Center Line Public Schools. One daughter is a teacher in the district with 3-1/2 year old and 1-1/2 year old daughters. The school district and the community have always been of great importance to Karen.

Karen is retired from the family business and holds a part-time job with the city. She is grateful for the chance to serve on the Board of Education for Center Line Public Schools and will continue to promote a positive vision for the district.

She expresses her thanks to all the employees of the CLPS who gave 5% in pay cuts to help right size our district and is very excited to be a part of the 2017 Bond Initiative.

Vice President

Gary Gasowski
First Elected May 1985
Term ends December 31, 2022

Gary and his wife, Jill, have lived in the Center Line Public School District over 25 years. They have six children - Nathan, Heather, Nicole, Sarah, Emily and McKenzie.

Gary has served as Treasurer, Secretary, Vice-President, President, and Trustee of the Center Line Board of Education. Gary has also taken numerous classes to become more knowledgeable in Board related matters and has accumulated over 2,200 educational credits earning the President's Award from the Michigan Association of School Boards (only seven other Board members in the state have earned this honor).

He is employed by Oakland County where he counsels young people and develops community-based programs for families. He has been on the part-time faculty of Macomb Community College and Oakland Community College.

Treasurer

Darrell Vickers
First Elected May 2007
Term ends December 31, 2020

Darrell and his wife Cheryl have three children and have lived in the district for seventeen years. Their children are graduates of Center Line High School; daughter Nicole, Class of 2007, son Darrell, Class of 2010, and daughter Amber, Class of 2013.

Darrell and his wife are proud grandparents to three wonderful grandchildren. The oldest is attending Center Line Public Schools

The Vickers family are very active in community needs programs and help supply dinners to hundreds of people every month through their church.

Darrell has served on the Bid Opening, District Safety, Sites and Facilities, Community Service, and Finance Committees. He is a Certified Board Member through the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB).

Secretary

Henry Newnan
First Elected May 2010
Term Ends December 31, 2024

Henry is a taxpayer and single man who has worked or lived in Warren for more than twenty years. Born in Detroit, he graduated from the University of Michigan in 1980, and received three Summa Cum Laude Associates from Macomb Community College in Communication Arts. Henry has worked in several media capacities in Michigan including graphic design, website design, newsletter publishing, and video production.

Providing top-flight educational opportunities for our kids at every level is Henry's top priority. In the end, he feels that each of us is responsible for what we make of our lives. Since fortune favors the prepared, he encourages students to be diligent and develop brave hearts. Having a career and college focus from an early age is key to a child's later success in our competitive world.

Henry is self-employed as a graphic designer and as an estate trustee. He brings his environmental and business perspectives to his role as a Center Line Public Schools Trustee. Henry has earned the Master Board Member Award through the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB).

Henry's goals are to build the health of our community by supporting student achievement and our district. The Center Line School District is an exceptionally good place for students to be.

Trustee

Shelley Harenski
First Appointed August 2016; elected November 2018.
Term ends December 31, 2024

Shelley was appointed on 8/8/16 to finish out the term vacated by previous board member Dee Lindeman. Shelley has been a resident of Center Line for over 16 years. She is married to Peter, a Center Line Reserve Officer of over 16 years, and has two daughters who both attend Center Line Public Schools. Shelley is very familiar with Center Line, having attended the former St. Clement Elementary and High School for 6 years. She has her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Wayne State University and is a current licensed OT in the State of Michigan. She maintains registration with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.

Shelley has been with her current employer for over 17 years, holding many roles. For 12 years, she was the Operations Director for her office, working with physician specialists, therapists, and having responsibility over expense management, colleague HR decisions, financial statement review, coaching colleagues to demonstrate the best customer service possible, and having to perform service recovery as needed.

Shelley is excited to be part of the Center Line Board of Education, seeing how different today is when it comes to raising children. She is registered to begin classes through the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) and is looking forward to bringing her background together with the Board to create a positive, welcoming, safe educational environment for our children, while growing the district for continued success.

Trustee

Gary Shimer
First Elected November 2016
Term ends December 31, 2022

Gary has been a life-long resident of Warren and has lived in the Center Line district for the past 19 years. Gary's wife Pam is a Center Line alumni along with his two step-children, Billy and Carrie. Gary also has two daughters. Sara graduated in June of 2016 from Walsh college with a BA in Management/Human Resources, and Samantha (Sammie) currently attends Center Line H.S. and is due to graduate in 2019.

Gary worked for East Detroit Public Schools for 24 years before retiring and going to work for Michigan AFSCME Council 25 as a Staff Representative. In his current duties Gary serves as lead negotiator for labor agreements and is also charged with contract enforcement and all other aspects of labor relations. Gary is also active in the Warren Area Dems and also sits on the committee representing Warren in the U.S. 9th Congressional District in Michigan.

Gary is excited to bring his experience, knowledge, and creative thinking to the district and advocate for the best possible education our children can have.

Trustee

Wendy Watters

First Elected November 2018

Term ends December 31, 2020

Wendy is formally of Tennessee and has lived in Warren and the Center Line School District for over 16 years. Wendy's husband Gordon is a Center Line alum, and is a Senior Controls Engineer with Fiat-Comau; they have two sons who attend Center Line Public Schools, Gavin (Class of 2022) and Garrett (Class of 2026). Wendy is a stay at-home-parent and a chef. She is a graduate of Sullivan University in Louisville, KY with A.S. in Culinary Art and an A.S. in Hospitality Management. She has worked in many areas of the hospitality industry including hotels, hospitals, restaurants, and catering companies, most recently working as a culinary paraprofessional at Rising Stars Academy, teaching culinary arts and life skills as well as being a job coach to adults with intellectual disabilities.

Wendy is dedicated to giving back to community by volunteering many hours in local programs. Wendy has served as President, Vice-President, and Secretary of the Roose Elementary Parent Teacher Committee (PTC) over past 10 years. Wendy has also served as Vice President of the Wolfe PTC for 2 years and is a member of the CLHS Band Boosters and the Center Line Moms' and Dads' Club. Wendy and her family are members of Woodside Bible Church Warren Campus. Wendy volunteers in children's ministry, the Woodside Thrift Store, and Kids Flip Camp as well as the different food ministries at Woodside.

Wendy is excited to serve the families and students of Center Line Public Schools. When schools, community and families come together our children rise to the top. This is a great time to watch Center Line Public Schools grow and Wendy is ready to continue to invest in growth of all the students of CLPS.