Dan Kolbe Running for State College Area School Board

A Patton Township resident is the latest candidate to announce a run for State College Area School Board in this year’s election.

Dan Kolbe will be seeking a nomination for one of five open school board seats in the May primary, he said in a press release on Monday.

A native of Philipsburg, Kolbe works in business development for KCF Technologies in State College. He and his husband, Doug, are the parents of a son who attends a district elementary school.

Kolbe was motivated to run for the school board both to serve the community and “to create more spaces of representation for families like his in our elected bodies,” according to the release.

“Being an LGTBQ, multi-racial family living in the Centre Region has changed drastically since my childhood years, and this progression gives us a real opportunity to deliver a more diverse perspective to help us continue striving for a more inclusive and equitable school district,” he said.

Kolbe is the second candidate to announce a campaign for the State College Area School Board, joining Aaron Miller. Like Miller, Kolbe will cross-file for the Democratic and Republican ballots in the primary, as is typical in school board elections.

Of the five school board seats up for election this year, four are currently held by Amy Bader, Gretchen Brandt, Daniel Duffy and Laurel Zydney, while one is vacant because of Amber Concepcion’s recent resignation from the board following her appointment as Centre County commissioner.

The municipal primary election is May 16. Candidates can circulate and file nomination petitions beginning Feb. 14. The general election is Nov. 7.