Scott Craft (Member, Lake Arrowhead)
Cindy Gardner (Member, Lake Arrowhead)
William Mellinger (Member, Crestline)
Jordana Ridland (Clerk, Crestline)
Jordan Zarate (President, Running Springs)
Scott Craft, Lake Arrowhead
A single mother raised Trustee Craft along with his five siblings. The Craft family moved to the mountain in 1976, when Scott started Mary Putnam Henck in the middle of 6th grade. It was at MPH that Coach Eaton pushed him to wrestle. All his siblings excelled academically, and Scott struggled with learning difficulties but always did well in sports. Scott started wrestling in 1979 as a freshman at Rim of the World Unified, where he excelled. With the support and guidance of Coach John Beresford and Jim Minor, Scott graduated in 1983 with college course requirements, wrestled in college, and later started coaching in 1987. Scott found his purpose and passion in coaching, then received his teaching credential from Cal State San Bernardino and began his teaching career at Rim of the World High School. Mr. Craft retired from Rim of the World Unified School District in 2022 after a 33-year career. Mr. Craft greatly supports the Career Technical Education (CTE) programs offered at Rim High School since Scott has been involved in construction his entire life and has been a general contractor for 36 years. After his retirement, he still wanted to give back to the mountain community he loves and became a board member. Scott will do his best to make proper decisions for students and staff.
Cindy Gardner, Lake Arrowhead
I am a graduate of the University of Southern California and co-owner with my husband of a special makeup effects company. We moved to Lake Arrowhead in 1994 and all three of our children attended ROWUSD schools K-12. I have been involved with the PTA at Grandview Elementary, MPH, Rim High School, and Mountain Area Council PTA for the last 21 years served on school site council at these schools and served on several ROWUSD district committees. I was on the Rim Educational Foundation board for many years, served as an elected board member of the Rim of the World Recreation and Park District, and have been serving as treasurer on the Rim of the World Communities Scholarship Council for the last 11 years. As part of my ongoing efforts to advocate for our school district and students, I have been elected secretary of the San Bernardino County School Boards Association Executive Committee and elected East Valley Region representative to the San Bernardino County District Advocates for Better Schools (SANDABS), a legislative committee which allows me to bring budget and legislation information back to our district and, in return, I am able to bring our district's issues and concerns to the state and federal levels of government. It is an honor to serve Rim of the World Unified School District.
Jordan Zarate, Running Springs
Jordan Zarate, CEO of Digital Mountaineers, has a background in web accessibility & ADA web compliance. As the youngest board member at Rim of the World Unified, Jordan also serves on the board of the Running Springs Area Chamber of Commerce. Jordan is a community-minded entrepreneur who prioritizes making a positive impact in business as well as in his personal life.
Jordana Ridland, Crestline
Dana Ridland is a current Rim of the World Unified School District Board Member and local small business owner of Double Dog Ranch, a cage-free dog boarding facility located in Crestline. Dana earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and Minor in Psychology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She has a Single Subject Teaching Credential from the University of Redlands and master’s in educational technology from Azusa Pacific University. She is a former Rim High School math teacher and ETS educational consultant, and math specialist who has also worked in the corporate world as both a Project Manager and Technical Manager for Fortune 200 companies, Avery Dennison and R.R. Donnelley and Sons. Dana and her husband, Mike, are proud parents of Paulina, who is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at Caltech, and Harrison, a current Rim Senior who will be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo next year as an Economics Major.
William Mellinger, Crestline
I have been serving as the Pastor of First Baptist Church in Crestline since 2007. My wife Debbie and I moved here after spending twenty-two years planting churches in Arizona. We have both been heavily involved in education our entire lives. Debbie holds a lifetime credential from California, and I have a Masters's in Counseling having served as a Guidance Counselor at a growing school in Arizona.
I am a lifelong learner. I got my most recent degree, a Doctor of Ministry, in 2014. I grew up in Southern California and graduated from Upland High, Azusa Pacific University, and Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. Later, I completed my Masters's in Counseling at Ottawa University and then the Doctorate from Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL.
Over the years, I have coached numerous sports, including being the soccer coach at a small Christian high school where we had the privilege of winning their first State Championship. I even had the privilege of officiating at numerous Rim soccer matches, having been a State and National Referee for over twenty-five years.
Locally, I have served as the President of the Crestline Lake Gregory Rotary Club and as Assistant Governor for our Rotary District. For the last six years, I have been privileged to be the lead advisor to the EarlyAct clubs at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School. We have also been heavily involved in Essay contests, Speech Contests, Music competitions, RYLA, PRYDE, and other youth events in the Rim of the World Unified School District. I serve as the Chair of the Lake Gregory Community Advisory Committee, and I am President of Incorporate Lake Gregory.
I care about our community and I care about supporting the students, parents, and staff of our District. It is an honor to serve on the Board of Trustees. We have some wonderful schools, and we have reason to be proud of our District.