After Julie Eihausen announced in September that she would be leaving the Park City Board of Education next year, members were tasked with finding her replacement. On Nov. 21, they selected Erin Grady to fill the vacancy.

Grady is set to join the Board on Feb. 5 when Eihausen steps down. Petra Butler, Anne Peters and Andrew Caplan voted for Grady, while JJ Ehlers and Julie Eihausen voted for another candidate, Betsy Ricks. Ricks is an educator at The Peace House.

Peters said that, while both were incredible candidates, she appreciated Grady’s background. Grady worked for 12 years as communication director of Deer Valley Resort. With the Board’s new focus on improved communication, Peters said that Grady’s knowledge will help the Board work with the community and with each other.

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“Her career there tells me that she is able to work well with others in a group,” she said.

Peters andButler said they appreciated that Grady had experience working on various boards. She is currently co-president of the parent-teacher association at Parley’s Park Elementary and a board member for both the nonprofit PC READS and the Figure Skating Club of Park City.

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Grady said that she will continue to serve on the board of PC READS.

With her work on the boards and in her career, she said she gained policy-making and budget experience.

Grady, who grew up in Park City, has two children who attend Parley’s Park Elementary School. She said that joining the Board was not on her radar, but when the vacancy came up, it seemed like a good step.

“Being involved with kids and education is something I just have kind of slowly grown to be passionate about,” she said.

She said that she is excited to be involved in the many projects the Board is working on, such as strategic planning.

“No matter what, it’s an honor, and it’s something that I am not going to take lightly at all,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working together with everybody — with my fellow school Board members, with the schools and with my constituents — and hoping to see some really great positive change.”

Butler said she noticed Grady’s excitement and desire to help, which was reflected in how prepared she was throughout the interview process.

“I just want somebody who is engaged and who is willing to pull up their sleeves and really get to work, because we have a lot of things we need to accomplish over the next year,” she said. “She came off to me as somebody who would want to be really engaged in the process.”

When a vacancy arises in the Board, members accept applications and select a new member from the precinctthat the leaving member represents. Grady will represent District Five.