Besides the fact that Maria Husted and Barbara Trautwein will both be the newest members of the Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board come 2021, the wives of the city’s police chief and fire chief, respectively, have much more in common.

Both came to Sedona in 2019 from California — Husted from northern and Trautwein from southern — both have a long history of leadership and volun­teering, and both have a similar outlook on where they would like to see the district and its schools down the line.

With Police Chief Charles Husted and Fire Chief Jon Trautwein working closely together around the city, particularly in the wake of COVID-19, it was no wonder that Maria and Barbara became close on a professional and personal level as well.

“Barbara Trautwein and I met when she and her husband moved to Sedona,” Maria Husted said. “Our families became friends, and Barbara and I spent time talking about how we could also serve the community as our husbands do as the police chief and fire chief.”

Barbara Trautwein said she was approached by community members over the summer who encouraged her to run for the school board after it became apparent that current SOCSD Governing Board Vice President Heather Hermen and board member Karl Wiseman wouldn’t be putting their names in again to run for 2021.

With current board President Randy Hawley running again for his second term, and board members Karen McClelland and Lauren Robinson’s terms not expiring until 2022, the five-person board was short two.

“I was already delivering food to neigh­bors through the community center’s Meals on Wheels program and serving as a volunteer for the Sedona Police Department,” Husted said. “Barbara began telling me about the school district and eventually asked if I’d run for the school board with her. The prospect was somewhat intimidating at first, but I real­ized that working with our local youth and families through the Sedona-Oak Creek school board would provide a meaningful way to serve our amazing community.”

After Trautwein convinced Husted to run with her, no other community members submitted their names to run for the school board, meaning the two were uncontested and won by default in the August primaries. Trautwein and Husted will be seated at the board’s first meeting of the year on Tuesday, Jan. 5, when the new board will then vote for president and vice president for the year.

Having served behind-the-scenes in the Temecula Fire Department and heading PTA boards while her children were still in grade school in California, Trautwein said she knows that like-minded indi­viduals are what make a board work, and she knew Husted shared similar visions for the school board.

“There are quite a few things that are a conflict of interest [with the SFD and SPD] and this wasn’t one,” Trautwein said.

Trautwein was already well-versed in the inner-workings of the school district, having watched dozens of past board meetings on the district’s website before even setting foot in Sedona.

“Whenever you have a job involved with the community, you do your home­work,” Trautwein said. “You look at the schools, look at the Rotary club, the police, the fire boards.”

While Trautwein said that the “school board was kind of a mess for a while,” she added that the single-greatest accom­plishment of the last board was hiring the team of SOCSD Superintendent Dennis Dearden and Assistant Superintendent Deana DeWitt.

“As I started talking to Denny and Deana, I was so incredibly impressed by their communication with the students, with the community. I so admired that — those two were the reason I stand behind [the district.],” Trautwein said. “They have provided continuity, embraced the community, are absolutely all about team­work — from Denny all the way down to the student, they’re a team.”

While Trautwein has had years of expe­rience working as a paralegal in Southern California’s music industry, she believes the best trait that she will be bringing to the table is her strong research skills.

Husted worked for years as a deputy coroner, serving as a sworn peace officer in Sacramento.

“My time at the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office was very rewarding and presented a tremendous opportunity to assist families during some of the most difficult times in [their] lives,” Husted said.

That passion for helping the commu­nity is one that Husted will carry with her to the SOCSD school board.

Both Husted and Trautwein cited the district budget and finances as what they believe to be the most challenging agenda items for the next school year.

“Budgets are always a top concern, and it will be critical that we work hard to ensure our staff and students have as much financial support as possible,” Husted said. “In the immediate future, I’d like to make certain that we secure and maintain the financial stability neces­sary to ensure an engaging education environment and foster talented staff. Our current challenges will significantly impact our objectives for the coming years. However, I’d like to see the coming years bring an expansion of educational programs, technology and success for our student body.”

Living in the small town of Michoacan, Mexico, for the first seven years of her life before immigrating to Northern California with her family, Husted also sees her mastery of the Spanish language as a plus for the district.

“I am also looking forward to serving our native Spanish-speaking families to help ensure they have a voice regarding the education of their children,” she said.

While Hermen will be leaving the board, she wishes Husted and Trautwein the best of luck, and will still be a stone’s throw away if her expertise is needed.

“When I was diagnosed with stage III cancer last year, I thought I would resign but instead I chose to stick it out,” Hermen wrote in an email. “I wanted to follow through on my commitment and set an example for my son. I believe I’ve done that and now I know I can better serve the community, students and the district by being a volunteer and engaged community member.”

Hermen said she originally ran because she wanted the students and staff to be more fairly represented by the board.

“I learned that being a board member is just one voice, and you’re only as powerful as that voice,” she said. “A board needs to work together in order to succeed.”