At their first meeting of the year Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, the Carson City School District was pleased to welcome two new recently elected board members Trustee Rebecca Roberts, District 2, and Trustee Michelle Pedersen, District 7. Mike Walker was also recognized for being re-elected to his position as a trustee serving District 5. Additionally, the board elected new officers to serve in leadership roles.
Trustee Lupe Ramirez, District 1, was named the newest president of the Carson City School District Board. She replaced former President Joe Cacioppo, who termed out Dec. 31, 2024, as a trustee serving District 7. Trustees Mike Walker, District 5, and Molly Walt, District 6, were also named vice president and clerk, respectively. Walker replaced former Vice President Ramirez, and Walt replaced former Clerk Walker. Each of the three leaders will serve one-year terms on the Carson City School Board.
The 2025 School Board Members by district include the following.
- District 1, Lupe Ramirez, president
- District 2, Rebecca Roberts, member
- District 3, Matt Clapham, member
- District 4, Richard Varner, member
- District 5, Mike Walker, vice president
- District 6, Molly Walt, clerk
- District 7, Michelle Pedersen, member
Later in the meeting, trustees were appointed to serve on various committees and associations including the following for the ensuing year.
- Director on the Nevada Association of School Boards – Richard Varner
- Alternate Director on the Nevada Association of School Boards – Lupe Ramirez
- Member, Carson City Parks & Recreation Committee – Molly Walt
- Debt Management Commission – Molly Walt
- Partnership Carson City – Richard Varner
- Legislative Liaison – Mike Walker, Lupe Ramirez and Molly Walt
- Representative(s) to Superintendent’s School Naming Committee – Michelle Pedersen and Rebecca Roberts
- Representative to Superintendent’s Joint Advisory Committee – Richard Varner
- Representative to Carson City School’s Foundation – Lupe Ramirez
- Representative(s) to Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) – Lupe Ramirez and Molly Walt
- Representative to the Emergency Operations Development Committee – Matt Clapham
- Representative on the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) District Leadership Team – Richard Varner and Michelle Pedersen
Action was also taken to appoint trustees to serve as Individual Liaisons to schools within the district. Those assignments include the following.
- Carson High School – Michelle Pedersen
- Pioneer Academy – Lupe Ramirez
- Carson Middle School – Matt Clapham
- Eagle Valley Middle School – Matt Clapham
- Bordewich Bray Elementary School – Richard Varner
- Empire Elementary School – Molly Walt
- Fremont Elementary School – Rebecca Roberts
- Fritsch Elementary School – Richard Varner
- Mark Twain Elementary School – Michelle Pedersen
- Seeliger Elementary School – Mike Walker
New Trustee Michelle Pedersen has lived in Carson City for more than 20 years. She and her husband continue to raise their four children, all of whom have thrived in Carson City School District schools.
Her personal and volunteer life has been deeply intertwined with the educational and community fabric of Carson City. She has spent 17 years volunteering in various capacities within schools, and she has been a pivotal leader in Carson City Little League for 14 years, serving as a coach and board member, including terms as President and Vice President. Under her leadership, the league flourished, supporting more than 650 youth athletes and managing more than 150 volunteers. For 13 years, she also served as the Parent Volunteer Coordinator for Youth Theatre Carson City, helping to nurture young talents and organize competitive trips that brought pride to our community.
Pedersen believes in a hands-on approach and being actively involved. She is a proponent of the philosophy that joining an activity or group is a family commitment, which has guided her through numerous volunteer roles, enriching the experiences of not only her family but also her community.
New Trustee Rebecca Roberts has been a resident of Carson City for more than 10 years and she is the mother of six children, three of whom are enrolled as students in the Carson City School District, and three of whom will be enrolled within the next few years. She worked as a special education paraprofessional while simultaneously earning a certificate in Early Childhood Education from Utah Valley University.
Education is in her blood. Growing up her father served their community in Idaho Falls, Idaho, as an educator and later as a school administrator in Pavillion, Wyoming. For the past nine years, she has been a stay-at-home mom, using the skills she learned through her work and schooling to raise her own kids. She has always done what she can to support her kids in their classes by donating supplies, money for field trips and attending the events the schools put on for students and families. Roberts is also involved with the children and youth groups at her church by helping support their goals and putting together activities to help support their interests and growth.
President Lupe Ramirez earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Western Governors University and an associate’s degree in Business from Western Nevada College (WNC). After a 32-year trajectory at WNC, she decided to retire and set new goals. As a retiree, she has served as a school trustee for the Carson City School Board since 2019, serving as the first Latina in that capacity. She was honored in 2020 as the New School Board Member of the Year by the Nevada Association of School Boards. She thrives in advocating for all students and is honored to continue making an impact in the community.
In addition to her responsibilities as a member and the 2022 clerk for the Carson City School Board, Ramirez continues her involvement with students from WNC. She currently serves as a mentor for Nevada Promise students and enjoys the interaction with them and their parents. In August 2022, Ramirez was recognized by the institution with an Emeritus Award for her years of dedication to students, faculty and staff. In 2018, she was the recipient of the ACT College and Career Readiness Postsecondary Champion for Nevada. She has also served four years as a member (and as vice president in her last year) of the Carson City Cultural Commission where she was again the first Latina to serve in that capacity.
Ramirez’s professional employment and position on the school board not only establishes her as a liaison for the Latino community, but it also provides her with the opportunity to connect with an underserved population and help guide them through high school and college degree completion.
Ramirez has been married to her husband for 39 years and has a 24-year-old daughter who graduated from UNR in Spring 2022 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Minor in Constriction Management. Her daughter is also a product of the Carson City School District and attended Fritsch Elementary, Carson Middle and Carson High Schools. Her daughter was also a member of the Cheerleading Team (all four years) and participated in the Jump Start dual-enrollment program where she earned a High School diploma and an Associate of Arts degree simultaneously.
Vice President Michael B. Walker was elected to the board in 2016. During his first four-year term, he has served as a board member, clerk, vice president and president. He earned an Ed. S. in school administration, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education from University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and an associate’s degree from Truckee Meadows Community College.
He taught third grade at Seeliger Elementary and worked as a school administrator at Carson Middle School and Fritsch Elementary. He then served as an Education Programs Professional in the Nevada Department of Education as the State Coordinator of Education for Homeless Children and Youth and a Title I program manager. Additionally, he is the past president of Food for Thought, a local non-profit organization providing nutritious meals for students experiencing food insecurity.
He is the current principal of Sutro Elementary School in Dayton, is an appointed member of the Nevada State Board of Education, is the president of the Nevada Association of School Boards and the chair-elect of the Pacific region of the National School Board Association.
Clerk Molly Walt has proudly called Carson City home since 1994 where she lives with her husband and family. She and her husband are proud parents of four children, each of whom has achieved significant academic and athletic milestones. Their oldest children are twins; one graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, and the other from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 2024. Their daughter is currently attending the College of Idaho on a soccer and academic scholarship, and their youngest son recently committed to Eastern Oregon University to play soccer.
Walt holds a Master of Leadership & Supervision (M.A.Ed.) and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She has a strong foundation in education, having taught in the Carson City School District from 1999 to 2014.
In addition to her experience in education, Walt brings extensive expertise in nonprofit and public organizations. She currently serves as the chief executive officer of the Nevada Rural Counties Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), where she leads strategic, fiscal and operational initiatives. Under her leadership, RSVP continues to provide life-enhancing volunteer programs that help seniors and adults with disabilities throughout rural Nevada maintain their independence and dignity.
Walt’s dedication to community service is evident in her active involvement with various organizations. She serves as Vice-Chair of the Carson City Parks and Recreation Commission, Secretary of the Nevada Volunteers Commission, Chair of the Nevada Lifespan Respite Care Coalition, and commissioner of the Nevada Commission on Aging. She also co-facilitates Dementia Friendly Carson City, an initiative focused on creating a more supportive community for those affected by dementia. Additionally, Walt is also a proud member of the Rotary Club of Carson City.
It is also important to know the Carson City School District Board of Trustees was recognized as the NASB School Board Governance Team of the Year in 2013, 2017, 2019 and 2023. The recognition is awarded for the consistent use and development of skills and programs focused on board-superintendent cooperation and teamwork to improve student achievement.
