Two seats on the Forsyth County Board of Education are on the July 20 primary — Districts 1 and 2.

The races will feature the new district-only election format approved last year by the state.

The setup, which voters supported in a July 2008 referendum, means voting for the post will be limited to residents of the particular district.

Previously, candidates had to live in their district, but were elected countywide.

District 1 covers some of Cumming and parts of western Forsyth, while District 2 includes much of south Forsyth.

The District 2 school board post is currently held by Mike Dudgeon, who is not seeking re-election and is instead running for state legislature.

There is no Democrat running in District 1, so the winner of the Republican primary claims the seat.

District 1  

Ann Crow, R (Incumbent)
Age: 64
Family: Husband, Roger; children, Leigh, Cecily and Allyson
Education: Bachelor’s degree in consumer sciences from Auburn University
Occupation: Matrix Inc. owner
Affiliations: Member of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce, First Baptist Church of Cumming, United Way of Forsyth County and the Georgia State School Board Association
Why she’s running: “I believe that the school system is headed in the right direction and I feel like my leadership skills will help keep it on the right path. I enjoy being a servant to the community and this is the best way that I can do that.”

Brian Sorrell, R
Age: 40
Family: Wife, Jennifer; children, Blake and Kristen
Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science from Georgia State University
Occupation: Asbury Auto Group regional controller
Affiliations: Cure Childhood Cancer board member
Why he’s running: “I am running for office to ensure that my kids and your kids have the best education in the country. We need a new vision that will enable us to grow our education quality and facility improvement and still maintain the fiscal discipline that is required to run a balanced budget.”

District 2  

Larry Duckworth, R
Age: 63
Family: Wife, Sharon; children, Matthew, Kristen and Benjamin
Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics from Marshall University, master’s degree in marketing/finance from Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Occupation: Chief education officer of Learn.net
Affiliations: Member of Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Technology Association of Georgia Workplace Learning Society board, Technology Executives Roundtable
Why he’s running: “The way to have our democracy survives is for conservatives to run the school boards ... I can help. We have over a $258 million education business here. I have over 20 years of being president and CEO of successful businesses, lots of expertise. I have the MBA and also I have over 20 years of education background ... I understand the issues, I also understand having been a CEO and having been on boards, how to work with the superintendent to make sure a good policy is implemented.”
Web site: www.larryduckworth.com

Kristin Morrissey, R
Age: 45
Family: Husband, Joe; children, Mackenzie and Sydney
Education: Computer science degree from the State University of New York and Monroe Community College, studied microelectronic engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology
Occupation: Retired after 16 years as an automation specialist for the Monroe County Library System
Affiliations: Graduated from the Georgia Academy for Economic Development and Leadership Forsyth, member of the Forsyth County Library Board of Trustees, Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce Quality of Life Council and secretary for the Forsyth County Community Connection
Why she’s running: “As the only candidate with children in the school district, I have a vested interest in maintaining and improving the quality of schools in our system. I have the time and energy to vote, I have a proven track record of working on behalf of the community and I’m looking forward to focusing my energy to working on behalf of the community with the Board of Education.”
Web site: www.kristinforkids.com

Camille Fareri, D (note: no photo available)
Age: 63
Family: Single; children, Wendy Fareri Dudley and Brigit Fareri Magin; and one grandchild
Education: Ph.D. in education and master’s degree in reading and writing from the State University of New York, master’s degree in special education from Russell Sage College and bachelor’s degree in psychology from the City University of New York Queens College
Occupation: Education professor at Brenau University in Gainesville
Affiliations: Member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Democratic Women of Forsyth County, Saint Brendan’s Catholic Church, Literacy Volunteers board and volunteer at Jesse’s House
Why she’s running: “I’m passionate about good education. I’m passionate about supporting teachers and empowering them to be the best educators and I really want to see Forsyth schools remain the good district that it is and continue to grow in its effectiveness ... I’d really like to bring to bear some of this expertise I have in education technology, in policy-making, in administration and legislation to the board because I’ve gathered all this background and I’d like to be able to contribute some of it to Forsyth County Schools.”
Web site: www.tothetopwithfareri.com