New Eugene 4J board member brings perspective as mom of LGBTQ+, neurodiverse kids

Ericka Thessen has been sworn in as the newest member of the Eugene School District 4J Board of Directors.

Thessen, a physical therapist and mother of three, was appointed in a unanimous vote by the other six board members Sept. 27, following a round of interviews with finalists.

The two-month search was conducted after former board member Laural O'Rourke resigned from the position in July. Thessen was selected from among 24 applicants.

On Wednesday, 4J superintendent Andy Dey led Thessen through the oath of office. Thessen will remain in the Position 2 role until the term expires in June 2025.

If she then wants to remain on the board, she will have to run for the office.

"I'm definitely honored," Thessen said after taking her oath. "I'm humbled and excited to get to work."

Thessen was one of four candidates the 4J board interviewed Sept. 27. During the selection process, she received four votes that made her the finalist. Board members Maya Rabasa, Jenny Jonak, Judy Newman and Tom Di Liberto chose her in the second round of voting. Later, all six board members voted unanimously to appoint her to the position.

"I truly believe in public education," she said during her interview. "I think it's a gem. I think it's a right for every person, and I think it's one of the foundational cornerstones of a functioning democracy."

About Ericka Thessen

All three of Thessen's children have attended 4J schools. Her oldest recently graduated from Churchill High, her middle child currently attends Churchill and her youngest transferred to Springfield's Academy of Arts and Academics for high school.

"My three kids just couldn't be any more different, but I've seen their struggles and their successes in school and realized that they're not the only kids and we're not the only family that are experiencing those things," Thessen said.

As a parent of LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse children, Thessen said watching them navigate the 4J school system was part of what called her to participate on the district level.

Thessen said she would like to push for improvements in how schools deliver education, services and support to disabled students, as well as develop 504 plans more quickly. Two of her children are on the autism spectrum and were diagnosed later in life. Both were good at masking their neurodiversity, she said.

Thessen grew up in St. Louis, Michigan, moving to Eugene in 1997 to work for PeaceHealth. She has been with the health care company ever since and has worked at the PeaceHealth Riverbend hospital for more than a decade.

She's long been involved in local boards and organizations, serving as the current board president of the 86 Hunger Foundation, a local charity working to reduce food insecurity and food waste in Lane County. She also previously served on the board of Whole Earth Nature School and Wiggly Tail Dog Rescue.

Before she applied for the board position, Thessen was a member of the 4J Budget Committee for two years. Thessen is not alone as a budget committee turned board member. Di Liberto was on the committee before being elected to the board in May.

"A budget is a statement of an organization's values," Thessen said. "I have been a single working parent for a long time, and I thought it would be nice to have some perspectives of people who sometimes are making decisions about, like, 'Do I buy groceries or do I pay rent?'

"There's a lot of families that are living awfully close to the edge."

Thessen said she is used to thinking on her feet and looking for efficient ways to solve problems.

"Being on the budget committee really helps me understand we can't do all the things," Thessen said. "We have to show the taxpayers that we're using their money wisely and efficiently and appropriately to do the most amount of good for the most amount of students."

She added that she is constantly learning new things from her children and hopes to keep learning more as a board member.

Thessen said she wants to stay humble in her time on the board and can admit when she makes mistakes or doesn't have the answers.

"I won't always be perfect," Thessen said. "I'm humble enough to say I don't know the answer, but I will find it. I'm also humble enough to say I messed up and I appreciate the feedback and I'm going to do better next time.

"I hope the public feels good about me being in this position. I'm not perfect. I don't have all the answers, but I'm listening."

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Erika Thessen joins Eugene 4J school board