Meet the Board
President
Karen has been a lifelong resident of Center Line, residing with her husband John 35+ years on the same street where she grew up. All four of their children graduated from Center Line, and two of the four now reside in the school district with their families. Five of their nine grandchildren attend Center Line Public Schools. One daughter has been a teacher in the district for 20+ years. 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. Being a part of the Strategic Planning Team and the passing of the 2017 and 2023 bonds have been some of the highlights of her tenure. However, she feels the most important highlights are those displayed by the students, teachers, and staff, who are the backbone of our district.
Vice President
Shelley Harenski was appointed on 8/8/16 to the Board of Education and elected to continue in the role November 2018. Shelley has been a resident of Center Line since 2000. She is married to Peter, who serves within the City of Center Line, 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 currently a 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 since 1999, holding many roles. For 12 years, she was the Operations Director for her office, working with physician specialists, therapists, and support staff, 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 a Certified Board Member through the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) and continues to educate herself in board service and governance. She is a member of the Mom's and Dad's Club and serves as the Board representative to the Ford NGL Steering Committee. Shelley is proud to see the growth in CLPS, including the passing of the 2017/2023 bonds and becoming a Ford NGL Community.
Treasurer
First Elected November 2018
Term Ends December 31, 2028
Wendy Watters is formally of Tennessee and has lived in Warren and the Center Line School District for 20+ 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 served as President, Vice-President, and Secretary of the Roose Elementary Parent Teacher Committee (PTC) over a period of 10 years. Wendy 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.
Secretary
First Elected November 2020
Term ends December 31, 2026
Previously, Dan Taylor was appointed on July 16, 2018 to serve on the board of education until the November 6th, 2018 general election. In November 2020, he was elected to serve a partial term. Dan has been a resident of Center Line for 20+ years and is married to Vickie, a first grade teacher in Roseville. They have two sons who attend school in the district. Dan has been a music educator for over 20 years and currently serves as the Band and Orchestra Director at Fordson High School in Dearborn. Dan holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from Eastern Michigan University and a Masters degree in K-12 Administration from Saginaw Valley State University. Dan enjoys coaching baseball, fishing, golfing and vacationing with his family. He enjoys performing on his trombone and is a strong supporter of the arts. He is looking forward to serving on the board and implementing the district vision.
Previously, Dan Taylor was appointed on July 16, 2018 to serve on the board of education until the November 6th, 2018 general election. In November 2020, he was elected to serve a partial term. Dan has been a resident of Center Line for 20+ years and is married to Vickie, a first grade teacher in Roseville. They have two sons who attend school in the district. Dan has been a music educator for over 20 years and currently serves as the Band and Orchestra Director at Fordson High School in Dearborn. Dan holds a Bachelors degree in Music Education from Eastern Michigan University and a Masters degree in K-12 Administration from Saginaw Valley State University. Dan enjoys coaching baseball, fishing, golfing and vacationing with his family. He enjoys performing on his trombone and is a strong supporter of the arts. He is looking forward to serving on the board and implementing the district vision.
Trustee
Gary Gasowski
First Elected May 1985
Term Ends December 31, 2026
Gary and his wife, Jill, have lived in the Center Line Public School District 35+ 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. Now retired, Gary was employed by Oakland County where he counseled young people and developed community-based programs for families. He has been on the part-time faculty of Macomb Community College and Oakland Community College.
First Elected May 1985
Term Ends December 31, 2026
Gary and his wife, Jill, have lived in the Center Line Public School District 35+ 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. Now retired, Gary was employed by Oakland County where he counseled young people and developed community-based programs for families. He has been on the part-time faculty of Macomb Community College and Oakland Community College.
Trustee
Robert and his two children have lived in the CLPS district for over 23 years. Both of his children started at the Early Childhood Center and graduated from Center Line High School. They went on to earn degrees from Wayne State University. Robert has been a teacher at Peck, Crothers, Roose, and Miller Elementary Schools in the district; he has also taught math and science at Wolfe Middle School. He is a United Stated military veteran who served overseas in Germany. He graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in K-12 Education. He previously served on Warren City Council and currently works as a clerk for senior housing apartments and volunteers for the MCREST homeless nonprofit organization.
Trustee
Kevin was born in Livingston, New Jersey and raised in Detroit, Michigan. In 2017, he and his wife Dominique moved to the Center Line Public Schools district. In Kevin's spare time, he loves spending time with friends and family, enjoying concerts and various fun family outdoor outings. Four out of five of his children attend the district and love every moment of it. Kevin has been a realtor with multiple offices throughout Michigan for over 15 years. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration-Accounting from Wayne State University and currently is pursuing a master’s degree from Georgetown University.