Dottie Oden (Courtesy photo)

At a special meeting Wednesday night, the Nashua Board of Education nominated and selected Dorothy Oden (6-2*) to fulfill an available seat, recently vacated by Sandra Ziehm who resigned as of June 30.

Oden’s term began immediately with City of Nashua Corporation Counsel Steven Bolton on hand last night to administer the oath of office. Oden will fulfill the remainder of the vacated term until December 2023.

Oden was one of 17 Nashua residents seeking the open seat who submitted a letter of intent and presented their credentials at a special Board meeting on Wednesday, July 27.

Oden has served on the Board before, from January 1992 to November 1995, and then more recently from January 2014 to December 2021.

In her letter of interest, Oden said, “Having worked in the district as a para, a teacher and as a recent board member, I feel I am an ideal candidate and could quickly be a contributing member of the board with my recent and past experiences in the district.”

“We welcome Dotty’s return to the Board,” said Jennifer Bishop, President of the Nashua Board of Education. “The learning curve will be a short one for Dotty because of her many and recent years of service to this Board.”

“I look forward to working with Mrs. Oden again,” said Mario Andrade, Superintendent of the Nashua School District. “We have been working to prepare for the start of the new school year later this month and it is great to know moving forward that the Board is at full capacity.”

In addition to her service on the Nashua Board of Education, Oden was a long-term member of the staff at Amherst Street Elementary School, Nashua. She first was hired as a paraeducator in 1998, and then as a classroom teacher from August 1999 until her retirement in June 2013.

Oden earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from the former Gorham State College, Gorham, Maine, now University of Southern Maine, and she earned a Master of Science with a concentration in language arts from Eastern Connecticut State College, now Eastern Connecticut State University.

*Neil Claffey and Regan Lamphier, no vote.