ISD Board Of Education
Please join us in thanking school board member Matt Mallinson for his years of service to the Independence School District. We want to extend our deepest thanks for his leadership in the ISD, serving on the ISD Board of Education from 2009-2022.
The Independence School District welcomes its newest school board member Anthony J. Mondaine as well as returning board member Jill Esry as they prepare to begin serving six year terms. They were sworn in at the April 12th board meeting.
Anthony J. Mondaine’s involvement in the Independence community runs deep. He is a member of the first graduating class of Van Horn High School after its annexation in 2009. Mondaine is an ordained minister, serving as a local pastor in the community for the last six years. As the current treasurer of the Jackson County Children’s Services Fund, Mondaine assists in supporting crisis intervention and providing important resources to families in need.
Jill Esry is a proud graduate of Truman High School. She is very giving of her time, serving on several boards including with Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA). She is most proud of her time on the Independence PTA. Her husband Bill works in finance and is active in the Heart of America Council of the Boy Scouts of America (he’s a Chief in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say). Jill and Bill’s two daughters attended ISD schools. In addition to her duties as a board member, Jill has been a member of the district negotiating team for four years.
Returning board members are Eric Knipp, President; Blake Roberson, Vice President; Carrie Dixon, Treasurer; Denise Fears, Director; Greg Finke, Director.
Eric Knipp is very active in the Independence community, serving on the Independence Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Santa Cali Gon Festival Committee, Rotary Club of Eastern Independence Board of Directors and as an Eagle Scout coordinator and volunteer basketball coach in the IYAA league. He is honored to bring his dedication and love for Independence to the ISD Board of Education. Eric, his wife, Amy, and their two children graduated from the Independence School District.
Carrie Dixon has served in numerous leadership positions, including PTA President at William Southern, Independence Council of PTA’s Co-President and Resource Development Chair on the Missouri State PTA Board of Managers. Her three children currently attend ISD schools. She and her husband Mike lead the Salvation Army’s Three Trails Camp and Retreat Center. She says that has fueled her passion for child advocacy, which she proudly brings to her role with the ISD Board of Education.
Greg Finke became a member of the ISD Board of Directors in 2012 and plans to be involved with the ISD for years to come. He and wife Mindi have two young sons attending school in the ISD. Greg graduated from Truman High School. He was a financial advisor with Stewardship Capital for more than a decade. When he is not working or fulfilling his school board obligations, he serves on the boards of the Truman Heartland Community Foundation and the Rotary Club of Independence.
Denise Fears is a Certified Public Accountant with the Independence firm of Fears Case-Harmon & Associates. She has been an accountant for nearly 30 years. Denise, her husband Jared and their three children, all graduated from the ISD. She is also treasurer on the board of the Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA).
Blake Roberson has the longest tenure of any current ISD board member, serving for 14 years. He proudly attended ISD schools and graduated from Truman High School in 1971. Blake has been in the insurance industry for 35 years. He has also been married to his wife Sandy for 35 years, and their three children graduated from the ISD. Roberson is very active in the Independence community, serving on the Independence Council for Economic Development and the board of the Sunshine Center.