By Brian Roberson
Special to the
Opelika Observer

I was born in Columbus on Feb. 4, 1974. My family and I moved to Phenix City, Alabama, in 1984 and I graduated from Central High School in 1992.
I met and married my wife Shallain Roberson in 1998, and once we married, decided to move to Smiths Station and raise a family there. We have four children: Kayleigh (19), Abi (16), Timothy (14), and Jonathan (11). Our children attend Smiths Station schools and we are long time members of Philadelphia Baptist church, where I lead worship for our contemporary praise service.
I have an associate’s degree from Chattahoochee Valley Community College in arts and computer science. After graduation, I entered the IT field at TSYS as a programmer analyst.
I have 20-plus years in programming, with 15 of them spent in leadership. I have also served as a Minister of Music and Youth Music since 1999. I am and have always been heavily involved in the community, youth and youth sports. I am an active member of the Smiths Station Ruritan club and involved with numerous extracurricular clubs with my children.
My interest in serving on the school board more than two and a half years ago which led me to research the position and pray about seeking this office. My love for community, coupled with my love and desire to mentor our youth, has led me to want to serve the students, teachers and families of District 7.
I have a desire to improve our education system and help make it one of the best in the state of Alabama. I believe that to serve the people of Lee County in District 7, there are a few necessities like accessibility, visibility and knowledge of how our students and teachers interact daily and are educated.
To serve the people, you must be accessible most of the time to listen and council them on the issues that affect them daily as they interact with one another in the schools. You must be visible in the schools on a daily or biweekly basis to know what is going on, good or bad.
It is also a must to be able to understand the technology and resources that our students, teachers, and families use daily in education and collaboration.
Now I don’t know everything, and I am a lifetime learner, but I must strive daily to leave this city, community, county and our schools better than I found it. It is up to me to impact people in a positive way each time we interact, if we are going to be the best.
I ask that you go to the polls on Nov. 6 and cast your vote for “Roberson for School Board District 7.”
“Together, lets make a change that will make a difference!”
Roberson will challenge Democratic incumbent Napoleon Stringer for the District 7 seat.
For more information, like and follow Roberson’s Facebook page.