The Federal Way Public Schools board of directors voted Geoffery McAnalloy as board president and Claire Wilson as vice president on Tuesday.

McAnalloy served as vice president while Wilson served as the board’s legislative liaison, a position she’ll retain as vice president going forward.

After former president Carol Gregory announced the presidency change she said, “I’m done!” as they switched seats at the board meeting.

“I know that there may be a little bit of a surprise that I’ve taken myself out of the role and been voted out … “ she said. “But I am in the process of hopefully being appointed to the Legislative District.”

The 30th Legislative District precinct officers voted Gregory as the top choice to replace late Rep. Roger Freeman, who served as a House Representative, position 2, before he died at the end of October, days before the November election, which he won.

The King County Council also voted Gregory as their top choice in a Council meeting on Monday, although Gregory is still waiting to hear who the Pierce County Council votes on before the appointment is final.

McAnalloy joined the school board in December 2013 after unseating longtime board member Ed Barney.

“First I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my peers in their vote of confidence,” McAnalloy said of the unanimous board vote. “I look forward to the work that we’ll do over this next year together.”

McAnalloy said the board’s “first and most paramount duty” is to replace the school district’s superintendent in 2015. From there, he hopes the board will be able to work with the new superintendent on a strategic plan for the district.

He’s specifically interested in improving the fifth to eighth grade student transitions as well as opening up more opportunity for students in the career and technical education field.

“We need to make sure students are career ready,” he said. “[Career and technical education] may be able to help with graduation rates.”

If Gregory is chosen to join the Legislature, McAnalloy said the board will face the challenge of having to replace her director position as well as maintaining consistency and stability as three other board directors’ terms expire at the end of 2015.

“It’s important for us to become cohesive and what we expect of our students is how we should lead as a board,” McAnalloy said, adding that transparency is a key focus of his as well. “So that’s going to be my focus this year.”

McAnalloy served as the vice president of the Adelaide Elementary School PTA and worked as a legislative liaison before he was on the board. He and his family came to Federal Way in 2008 because of the schools and he’s raised more than $15,000 in donations to benefit schools. His three sons attend school in the district while he works at Century Link.

McAnalloy’s term expires in 2017.

Wilson, a previous school board president, was also unanimously voted as vice president and the legislative liaison.

“I think that my focus and perspective has always been as we enter any kind of a board or job or any landscape, we have to understand what is and what was and then create what will be and so my work with Geoffery … my hope is that we’ll continue to have a new lens or focus, maybe some new questions or wonders and at the same time I can bring some past history or information that might help,” Wilson said, noting the school board is still relatively new.

Wilson has served on the board since 2011 and has brought more than 30 years of experience in working with children and family in early childhood and K-12 education, according to the district. She’s the executive director for Policy Governance, School and Family Partnerships at the Puget Sound Educational Service District and also taught high school in Tacoma. While teaching high school, she coordinated the district’s teen parent program.

Her term expires at the end of 2015 and she said whether she runs again or not, she’s been an advocate for children and families for years and “that’s not going to change.”

“I would like to see my own children graduate in the district, they’re a junior and freshman,” she said. “I would like to see us through not only with a new superintendent but with a new strategic plan.”

Ultimately, Wilson said the community also has to make the decision of whether they want her to run again or not.

But either way, she’s committed to early childhood learning.

“I’ve been around for a while and I make my impact and I’m an ally and advocate in any way and anywhere I can do that,” she said.

Wilson is a part of many other organizations and boards surrounding education and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in food, nutrition and child/family studies and a Master’s Degree in home economics and adult education.

For more information, visit www.fwps.org/highlights/board-education.