Board of Selectmen
Christopher Faulkner
Chris was raised in a military family mostly in Massachusetts and is a proud veteran himself. He served as a Cavalry Scout in the Army and after being honorably discharged, earned an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Fitchburg State and a graduate degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security at National University. Working in the banking and investment side of residential and commercial construction, he has learned to develop and maintain complex budgets and analyze and anticipate possible effects and impacts projects might have on communities. Christopher and his wife Adelle moved to Holden in 2020 and have put down roots in the community. Christopher is dedicated to conducting thorough research on policies to ensure that decisions made will positively impact our neighbors and our community. He would love the opportunity to serve the town that he has made his home
William Holmes
Will and his wife moved to Holden from the Boston area in 2020. Will is an aeronautics engineer by training and brings formidable problem-solving, project management, and research skills to the table, all skill sets that are sorely needed in town government. Will and his wife are expecting their first child this summer, so the main focus of his campaign is making Holden an even better place for families to live, especially when it comes to housing affordability and investing in our schools.
Find Will on Facebook here.
WRSD School Committee
Jana Brennan (incumbent)
Jana Brennan is a dedicated and passionate member of the WRSDC, committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students. As a school committee member for the past three years, and Chair of the Business and Finance Subcommittee for two years, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the position. She has helped establish a new foundation of collaboration and transparency between the Committee and school administration, and through her advocacy efforts, forged close relationships at both the local and state level. She is excited to continue her positive contributions to our schools and help shape a brighter future for our students.
Find Jana on Facebook and Instagram @janabrennan_wrsd
Maleah Gustafson (incumbent)
Maleah Gustafson has had the honor of serving on the Wachusett Regional School Committee for seven years and has been a passionate advocate for all WRSD students and families at the local and state level. In these particularly uncertain times, she believes it is essential to have knowledgeable experience on our School Committee.
She has served on the Strategic Planning working group; Business & Finance Subcommittee for seven years (as both chair & vice chair); Legal Affairs Subcommittee (vice chair); the Equity, Diversity, & Anti-Racism subcommittee (chair and vice chair); the Audit Advisory Board (chair); as the School Committee Liaison to SEPAC; and as a SIMCO Member at Dawson Elementary.
Maleah is the mom of a high school senior and has first-hand experience with the special education process and systems. With a background in higher education and community development, she is currently an academic counselor at a community college. A Holden resident for over 20 years, she is passionate about our town, our future, and our children. She is committed to providing all students in the district with access to the education they deserve, and the resources and opportunities to meet their full potential.
Get more information about Maleah on her Facebook Page.
William (Bill) Fisher
Bill is immensely grateful for the education he received in Holden. He is a staunch believer in the potential of public schools to alter individuals’ lives. His dad never finished high school, working in a dairy making ice cream, and his mother was a clerk in a retail store. Nevertheless, the strong educational foundation he received in the Holden schools equipped him to attend and graduate from Clark University, obtain a masters degree and Ph.D. from Northeastern University, and become a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Bill’s career as a sociology professor at UMass Lowell makes him uniquely qualified to take an evidence-based approach to developing school policy. With two grandchildren in the Wachusett Regional School District, Bill feels that our schools should provide every student with the foundation for realizing their potential. As a member of the school committee, Bill will work with his colleagues to help ensure that they always will.
Get more info about Bill on Facebook here.
