Jason Spears, Vice President

Jason Spears is a native of Philadelphia, Mississippi. He is a graduate of Neshoba Central High School. After high school he attended Ole Miss where he received a degree in Managerial Finance. In July 2005, he opened his own financial planning business in Columbus. Mr. Spears and his wife, Paige, moved to Columbus in October 2005 and have made it their home ever since. In March 2012, they welcomed their first child, Barrett, into the world. Mr. Spears states “I chose to serve on the CMSD

Board of Trustees mainly because I know what a good education can do for a person’s future. Looking back over my life I know many people sacrificed to ensure I had a quality education and this is my mission for the children of the City of Columbus.” Mr. Spears was appointed to the board in March 2012.

Glenn Lautzenhiser, Secretary

Glenn Lautzenhiser has served on the CMSD Board of Trustees for 21 1/2 years. He is a graduate of Memphis State University. He is an active participant in a number of community activities. He states his reason for being so involved is that “I want to make a difference in the lives of other people.” He is married to Jan and their children Louise, Perry, and Susan are all products of CMSD. He states he is grateful to all that have touched their lives along the way. He makes this statement regarding his service to CMSD and the community “It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Over the years we have had some of the most capable and dedicated employees you could find in any school district. Education is critically important to the students and their family but also to our state and nation. If we as a nation are going to continue to be the leader of the free world we must have an educated citizenry. As a district we must provide every possible opportunity to our young people to help them be successful. One of my great hopes is for our young people to be very excited about education and all of the possibilities that can result from a good education. There are many reasons to get a good education but for me the bottom line is ‘It is fun.’ There is hardly anything more exciting than to learn something that you did not know before.”

Aubra Turner, Board Member

Aubra Arletta Turner is 1995 graduate of Columbus High School. She was appointed to the CMSD Board of Trustees in January. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations from Jackson State University and a master’s from Mississippi State University in workforce educational leadership. She is currently the general sales manager/marketing consultant for Urban Radio Broadcasting (Power 92 Jamz, WACR, and JOY 98.9 FM). Mrs. Turner is married to Brian Turner who works for the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics & DEA. They have two beautiful daughters, Marian who attends Columbus Middle School and Madisyn who attends Cook Elementary. She is the daughter of Turner and Aubra Jackson. She is a member of Turner Chapel A.M.E. Church where she serves as youth

director over the young people’s division and youth choir director. Mrs. Turner is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She states her reasons for being a part of the CMSD Board of Trustees: “I have always had a passion with working with children in many diverse settings in and outside of the classroom. As a mother of two children in our district, I can relate to many parents. As a former student of this district, I understand the needs and challenges of many students and teachers. I am especially committed to quality education, and this position creates an excellent opportunity to make an impact towards the advancement of our school system and programs.”

Angela Verdell, Board Member

Mrs. Angela Verdell was appointed to the Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees in February 2013.

As an actively engaged parent of children in the district for over six years, she has had the great fortune to experience every level of education provided by the district and to serve in multiple capacities ranging from PTA leadership to Site Council participation. With a sound parent perspective and a professional background in finance and engineering, her desire is to assist the district in pragmatic financial decision-making and provide insight on streamlining processes that will result in greater efficiency and effectiveness within the CMSD.

She is the director of diversity programs and student development at Mississippi State University's Bagley College of Engineering, and she has two children attending schools in the CMSD.