New Capistrano Unified board officers named

The Capistrano Unified School District board appointed new officers at its Dec. 12 meeting.

Gary Pritchard was named president, John Alpay is vice president and Lynn Hatton is clerk of the board.

“I am proud to have the confidence of my colleagues on the board,” Pritchard said in a statement. “It is my hope that we can continue to work collaboratively as a board to find unique and innovative solutions to provide all of our students with an educational experience they not only need, but deserve, while we continue to responsibly manage the challenges of the current fiscal environment.”

Pritchard is a professor of fine arts at Cerritos College. He studied at Chapman University for his undergraduate degree and has master’s degrees from Claremont Graduate University and a doctorate from UC Irvine.

He was elected to the board in 2010 and represents Area 5, which includes Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel.

Alpay, a former clerk of the board, was elected in 2010 as well. He currently serves Area 3, which encompasses San Clemente. Alpay is the director of legal affairs for Oakley, Inc. and holds a law degree and MBA from UCLA.

Hatton, who owns two education companies, represents Area 7, which includes parts of Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo and Coto de Caza. She is the former executive director of the Princeton Review of Orange County, a position she had for almost 20 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Irvine.

—Joanna Clay