Board of Education

Meet the Board

The five elected members of the Board of Education work with the administration, faculty, parents, students and local residents to create a healthy learning environment within our schools.

You may contact them at the following:

Canajoharie Central School District

Board of Education

136 Scholastic Way

Canajoharie, NY 13317

(518) 673-6330 (ph)

(518) 673-3177 (fax)

richard.rose@canjo.org (e-mail)

John DeValve— President

Born and raised on Long Island, John DeValve has been a resident of Montgomery County since 1973. After a four-year stint in the US Air Force, Mr. DeValve accepted a position teaching strings in the Canajoharie Central School. He directed the orchestras, created a handbell choir which toured Europe three times, and served as Arts Department Chairman for twelve years. After retiring in June of 2002, Mr. DeValve was elected to the Canajoharie Central School Board of Education where he is currently serving.

Mr. DeValve has performed with the Schenectady Symphony for twenty-three years and also with the Syracuse Symphony, the Utica Symphony, the Catskill Symphony, the Santa Monica Chamber Orchestra, and the Upper Catskill String Quartet. He did his undergraduate work at Ithaca College and graduate work at Central Michigan University.

Gordon Coleman

Born in Lockwood, MO, Gordon Coleman graduated from St. Lawrence Central School in Brasher Falls, NY. After working in the construction business for a number of years Mr. Coleman enrolled at Potsdam State University. He graduated from Potsdam in 1979 with a major in History and a teacher’s certification in Social Studies, and went on to teach Social Studies at Potsdam Central School and Franklin Academy in Malone. Following his term as a teacher, Mr. Coleman then spent the next 20 years in various capacities in Banking and Finance. He, along with a number of local businessmen is currently engaged in organizing a new bank in Montgomery County.

Mr. Coleman resides in Palatine Bridge, NY with two of his children, Ian and Keven, both students at Canajoharie Central School. Mr. Coleman’s oldest child, Andrea, is a 2001 graduate of Canajoharie Central School. She recently graduated, with honors, from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY.

Mark Brody

A far cry from where he was born and raised in New York City, Mark Brody has worked as a large animal veterinarian in Montgomery County for 16 years. He is married with two sons, who both attend school in Canajoharie.

Dr. Brody has had a checkered career. Before entering veterinary school at the age of 41, he was a newspaper reporter, New York City cab driver, and, finally, garbage truck mechanic for the City of New York. He was also a shop steward and served on his union’s executive board. Dr. Brody enjoys woodworking, music, skiing, mountain biking, cooking and gardening. His punning ability pales in comparison to that of his elder son's.

Eric Trahan—Vice-President

Eric Trahan grew up on a dairy farm outside Fort Plain. He is a graduate of Fort Plain High School, Herkimer County Community College and the University at Albany. Eric came to Canajoharie in 1992 to become the Director of the Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery. He lives in Ames with his wife, Lisa, and their six children, who are students in Canajoharie schools. Eric has been serving on the Board of Education since 1999.

In addition to his work at the Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery and interest in regional tourism promotion efforts, Eric enjoys music, farming/gardening, and playing volleyball. He has been a cantor and music leader at St. James Church in Fort Plain for over 20 years. He maintains an active interest in his family’s dairy farm, grows a garden that is way too big, and raises several varieties of poultry, as well as Dexter cattle. He plays volleyball as often as possible, in various regional leagues and tournaments.

Dr. Carol A. Balfe

Carol Balfe grew up in Palatine Bridge. She graduated from Canajoharie High School in 1985 and went on to earn a B.S. in Biology from Hartwick College in Oneonta in 1989. She continued her studies at the New England College of Optometry in Boston where she earned her Ph.D. in 1993. She is an optometrist practicing in Canajoharie.

Carol lives in Ames with her three children. They are very involved in a variety of school activities in the middle and elementary schools. Carol is also active in her church, teaching 6th grade religious education class at St. James Catholic Church in Fort Plain.