Meet Our Board

Michael Connors was elected to Position 4 in November of 2019. His current term ends Dec. 31, 2023.

A Washington native, Mike Connors received a degree in communications from Seattle University before returning to the family agriculture business.

Married to April, a successful Realtor in the Tri Cities, they have four children, all currently attending school in the Kennewick School District.

Connors is a graduate of the United Fresh Produce Association Leaders Program and is the current chairman for the Fresh Solutions Network, a national sales and marketing group.

“As a father of four children enrolled in the Kennewick School District, I have a vested interest in not only their educational success, but the success of their peers and the schools they attend. Public education is a right granted to all children in our area. It's the duty and responsibility of the KSD board to ensure our children's education is the best possible. Our guiding principle in all decisions must be to 'keep kids first!' Together we can accomplish great things.”

Ron Mabry was elected to the board in 2011 and 2019. His current term ends Dec. 31, 2023.

Ron believes that Kennewick educators today face a challenging test – how to advance academics in a time of increased enrollments and decreased funding. He also believes that the school board needs to be financially wise and committed to academic achievement. Ron cares deeply about the education of all children and will draw on his management experience and expertise to benefit both our schools and the taxpayers.

"As a member of the Kennewick School Board, I will personally reach out to parents and educators to make KSD the very best it can be for all our children."

Ron attended North Carolina A&T State University. He completed college while serving in the U.S. Navy. In 1998, he earned an MBA from City College in Seattle. He is presently a radiological engineer and facility manager with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Ron lives in Kennewick with his wife, Devon, and their two sons, Zack and Isaac. 

Diane Sundvik was elected to Position 5 in November of 2019. Her current term ends Dec. 31, 2023.

Diane Sundvik retired from the Kennewick School District in 2019. She spent her career serving as a speech language pathologist in Kennewick and other districts throughout Educational Service District 123. She served as an active member of the Kennewick School District/Kennewick Education Association contract negotiation team for five years. “This experience gave me a bird's eye view of the financial workings of our district, and the careful, diligent oversight that is necessary to lead our district. I have also been involved in meeting with our state's legislators to discuss education needs.”

Diane graduated from South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard. She graduated from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in education in 1978 and completed Master's of Education coursework at Eastern Washington University in 1982.

“Our district's greatest assets are our children, and they deserve to receive the best possible education that we can provide. I believe that we need to have school board members who have hands-on experience with the day-to-day activities, operations and needs of the district's students, employees and community. School board decisions should come from well thought out and researched information, in which the community has been involved and listened to with great care.”

Gabe Galbraith was elected to Position 2 in November of 2021. His current term ends Dec. 31, 2025.

A Kennewick resident and Kennewick School District graduate, Gabe received master’s degrees in business administration from Ashford University and elementary education from Grand Canyon University. Gabe is a proud veteran of the U.S Marine Corps and has been in human resources and operations leadership for over 15 years. 

Married to Stephanie, a Kennewick School District teacher, they have three children, two that are currently attending school in the Kennewick School District and one recent graduate. 

“As a father of two children in our school district, the spouse to an amazing educator, and a former substitute teacher of the Kennewick School District, I have a vested interest in student success. 

As board members we are responsible for ensuring our 18,000-plus students have the resources they need to be successful, engage and listen to our communities’ input, and ask questions.” 

Micah Valentine was elected to represent Position 1 in November of 2021. His current term ends Dec. 31, 2025.

A Washington native, born in Elma, Micah’s family moved to Kennewick in 2017. He has a bachelor's degree in business management and a minor in Spanish from Southern Virginia University, where he received a full ride soccer scholarship. Micah currently owns and operates three businesses.

Micah is married to Tiana and has four daughters in the Kennewick School District: Karma, Veraty, Xela and Nova.

Micah believes the job of a school director is to graduate kids who have:

1. A belief and love for our country and community. “It’s important kids know they can do anything because they live in the most wonderful country in the world which provides endless opportunities”.  

2. The skills and confidence to make it all happen! The knowledge of math, reading, writing and fact-based science, coupled with a belief, generates success.