Six Finalists Selected for Open St. Cloud School Board Seat

ST. CLOUD - Six finalists have been selected for the open seat on the St. Cloud area school board.

Hudda Ibrahim,  Peter Hamerlinck, Hassan Yussuf, Shannon Haws, Scott Andreasen, and Debbie Erickson were selected as finalists by the school board on Wednesday night.

• Ibrahim was born in Somalia and came to the United States in 2006. She is the editor-in-chief of the Somali Current in Minneapolis.
• Hamerlinck was a District 742 school board member from 2011-2014 and was edged out by Bruce Hentges in the last election. He is an account manager at IVO Networks in Bloomington.
• Erickson is co-chair of the District 742 bond referendum committee and was a member of the high school task force. She is also a board member of the local education and activities foundation (LEAF).
• Yussuf placed sixth in the latest District 742 board election. He is a tax and immigration services specialist and has an undergraduate degree in social science from St. Cloud State and a masters in public administration from Minnesota State University-Mankato.
• Andreasen was edged by Yussuf for the final ballot spot in the recent District 742 board election. He is a licensed private detective.
• Haws is an office manager at Comfort Keepers in Waite Park. She was previously a teacher, swim coach and director of operations for a preschool in Homer, Alaska.

On June 23rd, the school board will interview the finalists. The board will vote to fill the position by June 25th, before their regular business meeting.

The seat is open after Cindy Harner resigned last month. Harner decided to step down after being arrested on suspicion of 4th degree DWI and 3rd Degree Test Refusal.