ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown School Board President Andrene Brown-Nowell and Vice President Audrey Mathison said school directors will head into 2026 with a continued commitment to advancing the district’s strategic plan.
Brown-Nowell and Mathison were re-appointed to their roles as board president and vice president, respectively, at a Thursday reorganization meeting.
There were no other nominees for either job.
“We’re here for the kids."Allentown School Board Vice President Audrey Mathison
It will be the third consecutive one-year terms that Brown-Nowell and Mathison serve together in their respective officer roles. They finish out their current terms in December 2026.
“We’re here for the kids,” said Mathison, the most senior school director, who is entering her 10th year on the board.
Together, she and Brown-Nowell, who is entering her fourth year as a school director, will lead a relatively young board — the remaining seven school directors have two years of experience at most.
Officers to guide young school board
At Thursday’s meeting, five school directors were sworn in, including four who are brand new to their roles.
Directors Evette D’Amore, Cereta Johnson, Dianne Michels and Denzel Morris were newly elected to the board last month. They are serving four-year terms that expire in 2029.
Director Nick Nicholoff was elected to serve a two-year term, which expires in 2027. He has been a school director since August 2024, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy.
“The children are looking to you to help ensure that they are afforded with so many amazing opportunities,” Superintendent Carol Birks told the new school directors.
Brown-Nowell also told LehighValleyNews.com that new school directors will get training to better understand their responsibilities in coming months.
“We are in a very powerful position to create the right policies, to make sure the right structures are in place [and] to make sure everything is equitable,” Brown-Nowell said.
“So that’s what the plan is going forward.”
Vision for the year ahead
As the board moves into a new chapter, Brown-Nowell said school directors and the district administration will prioritize early childhood development and literacy.
Brown-Nowell is particularly passionate about the district’s focus on making sure students are able to read by third grade, so they don’t “fall within the cracks.”
Additionally, Brown-Nowell said ASD will focus on implementing the findings of audits, such as the special education audit launched in fall 2024. The findings were shared publicly last June.
The board president also said the district has a special education advisory council that lets families and community members “be part of our decision-making process as we go forward.”
Brown-Nowell highlighted the district’s success under the current superintendent over the past three years.
She highlighted the purchase of new curriculums, investments in mental health supports and the development of career exploration programs.
“I feel like we’re building a firm foundation for the students."Andrene Brown-Nowell, president of Allentown School Board
“I feel like we’re building a firm foundation for the students,” she said.
“Yes, it’s going to take time to see it in the data and in the metrics," Brown-Nowell said. "You’re not going to see a huge spike in the numbers in literacy and math" right away.
“But over time you will see it because of the things we’re implementing now.”
President Andrene Brown-Nowell
Brown-Nowell was first appointed to the school board to fill a vacancy in January 2023 and served for a year before being elected to a four-year term that ends December 2027.
She is a former ASD parent. As a school director, she has served on the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit No. 21 board.
Additionally, Brown-Nowell is executive director of Fine Feather Foundation, an arts and mental wellness nonprofit organization serving Allentown youth.
Her organization offers after-school programs at Allentown School District schools and an arts camp through ASD’s summer programming.
Former school directors raised concerns in summer 2024 about whether her organization’s connection to the district could represent a conflict of interest.
At the time, Brown-Nowell said a conflict did not exist and attorneys reviewed the matter. She also said the district would reach out to the state’s ethics commission for further review of the situation.
She told LehighValleyNews.com Thursday that the commission notified the district it found no conflict of interest.
Additionally, Brown-Nowell is chief executive officer of Fine Fashion Kids, a children’s fashion company.
Brown-Nowell holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Vice President Audrey Mathison
Mathison first was elected to the school board in 2015. She previously served as president, including most recently in 2023.
She currently serves as chair of the board’s finance committee and as vice chair of the joint operating committee at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute.
Mathison is a former secondary English teacher who taught at Parkland High School for 40 years before retiring in 2006.
She was president of the teachers union when the educators hit the picket lines in 2003 for five days during contract talks.
Mathison has a bachelor’s degree in English from Grove City College and a master’s degree in education from Lehigh University.
