At the June meeting of the Perry School Board, there was a new face among the directors, though it was one with some familiarity.

Casey Baldwin is the newest member of the Perry School Board, succeeding his mother Marjean Gries as the fifth member of the Board. Baldwin, a 1999 graduate of Perry High School, has been living in Perry for around five years, after spending time in both Duluth, Minnesota and Newton, Iowa. He wanted to move closer to his mother while also raising his children in a diverse community, so Perry was a logical destination for his family.

With his mother’s passing earlier this year, and her seat on the School Board open, Baldwin says he knew his next path. “It was something that I had been thinking about since she passed away. Something that was really important to her was the children. That’s one thing, when she retired from being a P.E. teacher for 34 years, kids were always the most important thing to her.”

He expressed his interest in joining the Board to Board President Kyle Baxter and other current members. The School Board thought he would be a good fit to succeed his mother, and they unanimously approved his appointment. After his first meeting, however, Baldwin said it became clear he had big shoes to fill. “You know, she always knew how to have fun in anything that she did. Even, I learned, at the School Board, she liked to have fun, too. So that’s something that I need to carry on as well.”

He did feel his initial Board meeting went well, though he wasn’t entirely sure what he was getting himself into. He looks forward to getting more comfortable with his role, and has said he intends to run for re-election during the September School Board elections.

To hear more from Baldwin, listen to Monday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.