About the Board
Board President, Mr. Earle Dempsey
Mr. Dempsey is a 1990 graduate of Lake Forest and the father of two current Lake Forest students and two graduates. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Salisbury University and an MBA from Delaware State University. Mr. Dempsey is President of First State Inspection Agency, Inc. in Milford, DE. He also serves as an adjunct professor for the Delaware State and Wilmington Universities. Mr. Dempsey is an active volunteer with the Felton Community Fire Company and has served in various leadership roles within the Delaware Volunteer Fire Service, as well as non-profit organizations and boards that have included Leadership Delaware, Easter Seals, The Shepherd Place, The Arc of Delaware, and the DE Stem Council. He is also a member of several State boards and councils including the Supreme Court’s Board on Professional Responsibility, and DOE’s Professional Standards Board. Mr. Dempsey will serve as the Board President and serve the District as Board liaison to South Elementary School.
Phone: 302-535-2120
Term Expires: June 30, 2026
Board Vice President, Mr. James L. Rau
Mr. Rau, a lifelong resident of the District, is a 1993 Lake Forest graduate and has three Lake Forest daughters – Jenna (Class of 2022), Emilee (Class of 2023) and Madison (Class of 2026). A Wesley College honors graduate, Mr. Rau is employed by Parkowski, Guerke and Swayze, P.A. where he is the firm’s legal administrator. Mr. Rau is an active member of the community volunteering his time at various Lake Forest schools, as a youth soccer coach and with the Felton Community Fire Company where he is a 25-year Life Member and has held various positions including Vice President and Director. Mr. Rau serves as Board Vice President, liaison for Lake Forest North Elementary School, Alternate Representative to the Legislative Committee for the Delaware School Board Association and Board Parliamentarian.
Phone: 302-284-4909
Term Expires: June 30, 2025
Board Member, Mrs. Sarah Starkey
Mrs. Starkey is a 1999 graduate of Caesar Rodney High School and a 2003 graduate of the University of Delaware, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary and Special Education. She taught in the Caesar Rodney School District before moving to her husband’s family farm in Felton in 2007. Mrs. Starkey’s husband, Mike, is a teacher and prior Lake Forest High School Basketball Coach. Mrs. Starkey has four children – Jackson, Raegan, Carson and Brayden – all attending Lake Forest schools. Her family is extremely involved in the community through youth sports, school and church. Currently, Mrs. Starkey is employed by Calvary Wesleyan Church, in Harrington, as the Director of Family Ministry. Mrs. Starkey will serve the District as Board liaison to Lake Forest High School and Delaware Early Childhood Center as well as the Alternate for the Delaware School Boards Association Board of Directors.
Phone: 302-242-1576
Term Expires: June 30, 2024
Board Member, Mrs. Jordan McCloskey
Mrs. McCloskey was born and raised in the Lake Forest School District. She is a 2002 graduate of the Lake Forest High School. Mrs. McCloskey and her husband, Randy, have three children, Rylin, Rowan, and Rhett, that are currently enrolled in the District. She is also a 2006 graduate of the University of Delaware, with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education (K-8) and Special Education (K-12). Mrs. McCloskey is also highly qualified in middle school math and language arts. After graduation, Mrs. McCloskey taught in the Caesar Rodney School District for three years until taking time off to raise her three children and help to grow her husband’s farming operation. Mrs. McCloskey is very active in fundraising for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). In her spare time, she is also a volunteer field hockey coach within the community. Mrs. McCloskey serves as the Board liaison to W.T. Chipman Middle School as well as Representative for the Delaware School Boards Association Board of Directors.
Phone: 302-423-4144
Term Expires: June 30, 2027
Board Member, Dr. Betty A. Wyatt
Dr. Betty A. Wyatt is a 1972 graduate of Lake Forest High School. She holds an Ed.D. in School Innovation and Leadership and a Masters of Education in School Leadership from Wilmington University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education from Delaware State University. Dr. Wyatt retired from the Lake Forest School District in 2009 as Principal of the High School, where she had served as a teacher and also Assistant Principal. She has been a parent and grandparent in the District. Since retirement from the District, Dr. Wyatt has been an adjunct professor in the Education Department at Wilmington University and is Supervisor of the Yearlong Residency Program. She serves as the Vice-Chair of the Kent County Library Advisory Committee and a Hearing Officer for the DOE’s Professional Standards Board. Dr. Wyatt and her husband, Kenneth, reside between Felton and Harrington. Dr. Wyatt serves as the Board liaison to Lake Forest East and Central Elementary Schools as well as the Representative to the Legislative Committee for the Delaware School Board Association.
Phone: 302-228-9889
Term Expires: June 30, 2026