Candidates for Manheim Township School Director
JoAnn Hentz
First elected in 2017, then re-elected in 2019, JoAnn is a six-year incumbent on the Manheim Township School Board (MT School Board, or Board). A retired public-school educator with both classroom and curriculum development experience, she wants the Board to focus on the following priorities: 1. creating a breadth of educational options for our students; 2. addressing the needs of our talented and hard-working faculty; and 3. modernizing and improving the safety of our facilities.
Terrance Henderson, M.D.
Terrance is a physician who previously served on the MT School Board in 2021. He is the proud father of two MT High School students who have attended MT K-12 schools throughout. Terrance is a member of Manheim Township Education Foundation, MTSD North Star Committee and several other organizations aimed at helping MT schools elevate students and address future challenges to our school system. He is also seeking office to expand stakeholders' voices on the MT School Board.
Patrick Grenter
Patrick has two children who attend Schaeffer Elementary School, and his wife teaches at MT Middle School. He is an environmental attorney at a national non-profit organization, working to stop the harmful impacts of pollution on communities. Patrick is seeking office on the MT School Board because he believes in the value of public education, recognizing the board can best carry out its core mission of safely and effectively educating children by keeping schools free from divisive political agendas.
Sara Woodbury
Sara has one child who attends Reidenbaugh Elementary School. She works in healthcare to engineer efficient and effective processes for patients. Her clinical background is in mental health and hospital social work. She has served as a trustee, board member, and volunteer in various non-profits, including Love INC, the Community Check-up Center, and Highland Church. Sara is seeking office on the MT School Board because she believes public education should provide a safe and nurturing environment for ALL students.
Mark Boldizar
Mark is the proud father of two MT High School graduates. As a consultant and scientist who has worked on projects in over ten countries, he will bring more than thirty years of team-leading experience to the MT School Board. He values diversity and integrating multiple perspectives with innovative approaches to solve problems. In seeking office on the MT School Board, Mark is eager to harness the District’s diversity for the educational benefit of ALL the students.
Candidates for Manheim Township Board of Commissioners
Carol Gifford
A Manheim Township Commissioner, 2018-21, Carol is running for Manheim Township Board of Commissioners. A native Lancastrian, she and her husband have four children and three grandchildren. Carol does marketing for a local non-profit and has government and higher education experience. She donates time to boards of non-profits, such as United Women in Faith, and volunteers planting native trees and plants. She wants to see residents–not developers–identify public safety needs and decide future and decide future land use.
Celso Mesias
Celso and his family have lived in Lancaster County for 21 years including 8 years in Manheim Township, where his son graduated from MTHS in 2021. He is a Minister Educator with a Master of Divinity degree. He served on the Manheim Township Police Advisory Committee in 2021 and serves on the Manheim Township School District North Star Advisory Committee in 2023. He is running for MT Township Commissioner as a commitment of honor and responsibility that our residents are better represented with greater participation in municipal decisions.
Candidate for Manheim Township Magisterial District 1-02 Judge
Courtney Monson
A 2006 MT high school graduate, Courtney Monson earned her JD from the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. She has spent almost ten years working in the Lancaster County Court system, the majority as an attorney in the Public Defender’s Office. As Magisterial District Judge, she will promote the success and safety of our community by encouraging prompt resolutions to court cases, connecting individuals with resources, and participating in educational events.
Candidates for Lancaster County Commissioner
Bob Hollister
A Lancaster County native, Bob served nearly 14 years as Superintendent of ELANCO School District. As an educator, Bob volunteered on boards of multiple non-profit and professional organizations, such as Leadership Lancaster. He retired in 2022 to run for Congress. Bob is running for Lancaster County Commissioner to benefit the marginalized in our community. He and his wife Jennifer are raising two daughters in Conestoga Valley School District.
Alice Yoder
Alice is a nurse and public health administrator who has spent the last 30 years working on big problems in our community. She’s tackled everything from lead abatement to childhood abuse, opioid deaths to domestic violence, COVID-19 testing to vaccine access for underserved communities. She also has extensive experience with community planning, having served on both her local and the county’s planning commissions for over 16 years in total.
Candidates for Lancaster County Row Office
Catherina Celosse
Catherina Celosse is an attorney and community organizer running for Lancaster County Register of Wills to improve grieving families' experience in the probate process and to help keep family homes in the family.
Tara Ruby
Tara Ruby is running for Lancaster County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas to improve the handling of our County’s criminal records and to promote data transparency on issues such as housing disputes, recidivism, and bail.