Sean Cotton is a local business owner, attorney and the owner of the Grosse Pointe News. After graduating from Grosse Pointe South in 1995, he headed east and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from New York University’s Stern School of Business, then a Juris Doctorate degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. After law school, Sean practiced corporate law in Manhattan at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, counseling investment banks on initial public offerings and private placements.   

Sean and his wife Nancy moved to Grosse Pointe Farms in 2008 and started their family. Upon his return to the Pointes, he helped found the Grosse Pointe Housing Foundation and the Detroit Crime Commission. He was also instrumental in helping revitalize Grosse Pointe Park's commercial district, creating restaurants including the popular farm-to-table Bricks Pizzeria and retail stores like Coreander’s Children’s Bookshoppe.

Sean and Nancy have two sons who attend Grosse Pointe South High School and Brownell Middle School. His term expires December 31, 2026. cottons@gpschools.org

Board member Ahmed Ismail has been elected to our Board of Education four times (2004, 2008, 2014 and 2020).  Mr. Ismail describes himself as a “forever student”, especially when it comes to studying public education systems around the world.  He has served twice as a member of a delegation of US educators invited by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China to visit schools in China.  In 2008, Mr. Ismail used the relationships to arrange for a group of Grosse Pointe students to spend the summer studying in China as guests of the Chinese government.

Mr. Ismail is a strong believer in school board members being trained to best serve their school systems.  To that end, he has completed over sixty courses in school system governance and operations.  The Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) has formally recognized Mr. Ismail’s achievements with a plethora of awards, including their Certified Board Member, Award of Merit, Master Board Member, Master Diamond, and Master Platinum awards.  Of the 4,000-plus school board members presently serving in the State of Michigan, only 113 board members have achieved a higher level of education recognition from MASB.

In light of his extensive MASB training, Mr. Ismail was selected to serve on MASB’s Resolution and Bylaws Committee for multiple terms.  In addition, he was elected to serve as President of MASB’s Legal Trust Fund.  Mr. Ismail has worked to educate other board members from around the State by teaching about Bond Construction Oversight at the MASB State Convention as well as serving as a member of the MASB Mentoring Program, still consulting with many board members around the State. On a County level, Mr. Ismail has served on the Board of Trustees of the Wayne County Association of School Boards.

Mr. Ismail attended Poupard, Parcells, Grosse Pointe South, then Grosse Pointe North High School.  He joined the Grosse Pointe retail business community shortly after high school, presently working with his wife, Mary Ann, at The Portrait Place.  Over the years, Mr. Ismail has also served as a commercial construction cost consultant and contractor and as the developer of Clarkston’s Avington Park residential community.  His three boys attended our schools, with two of his sons graduating from Grosse Pointe North High School.  He and Mary Ann reside in Grosse Pointe Woods. Mr. Ismail prides himself on being accessible to community members.  He can be reached by phone at 313-343-9060 or via email at ismaila@gpschools.org.     

Terry Collins and his family are 23 year residents of the Pointes. After attending Lake Shore Highschool in St. Clair Shores, Terry went on to graduate from the University of Detroit (UDM) in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. He has spent the last 30 plus years working in the Detroit Automotive Industry where he currently leads a team of data scientists working to support a corporate finance auditing organization.

Terry has previously served on the Board of the Grosse Pointe Gators Swim team and continues to support the Grosse Pointe South Swim team. In June 2022 he traveled to Poland with a group from St. Clare of Montefalco who assisted with the temporary resettlement of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war in their country.

Terry and his wife Jessie have three children and three grandchildren. Their youngest daughter is a senior at Grosse Pointe South and their son is a 2011 graduate of Grosse Pointe South. The eldest daughter, her husband and three grandchildren live in the Wood and their oldest grandchild is a first grader at Ferry Elementary. collint@gpschools.org

Lisa Papas holds a B.M. in Music Education from Wayne State University. After choosing to stay home to raise her children for many years, she worked off and on in the family restaurant business, supervising the opening of a new location. She has been teaching both high school and middle school vocal music as well as string orchestra and music history classes for the last decade. She has had both choirs and soloists that earned first division ratings at both District and State Music Festivals. Lisa has directed and produced musical productions and written many grants that have provided opportunities for her students to attend field trips, college visits and provided classroom equipment. Lisa and her husband John have raised their six children in Grosse Pointe. Their oldest four children are all graduates of Grosse Pointe South High School and their youngest two children are current students there. Lisa served on the selection committee for the Brownell Principal position. She has chaperoned many field trips over the years and been an active volunteer in various community and church organizations. Lisa was elected to the Board in November of 2020 and her term will expire in December of 2024. papasl@gpschools.org

Ginny is a self-employed small business owner focused on property management. She has her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. She also received her teaching certificate in 1st through 6th grade. She spent a decade as a corporate recruiter. Ginny spent five years working for Adlhoch and Associates as a realtor. 

Ginny is married to Dr. Paul Koch. She has three daughters, one of whom was adopted from Ukraine in 2021. Throughout her family's 22 years in Grosse Pointe, she has remained involved in many organizations throughout the community and schools. Her term expires December 31, 2026. jeupv@gpschools.org

Valarie St. John earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in World Literatures from The Ohio State University, and a Master’s of Public Health from the University of Southern California. She and her wife have a child who currently attends Pierce Middle School.

Valarie learned the value of public education as the daughter of two teachers. Her experience in nonprofit organizations, school-based programs, and local activist groups has prepared her for her role on the board. Her term expires December 31, 2026. stjohnv@gpschools.org

Colleen is an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the Special Victims’ Unit in the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, where she fights hard to protect kids every day. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Miami University in 1990 and earned her Juris Doctorate from University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law in 1997. After graduating from law school, Colleen worked for a municipal law firm for 16 years, representing cities and townships all over Southeast Michigan. Prior to law school, Colleen worked as a Legislative Aide for a State Representative for four years, where she worked to balance state budgets and to enact legislation addressing equity in education.

Colleen is married to Dave Worden, and they have a daughter attending Parcells Middle School. Colleen served on the Executive Committee of the Monteith PTO for 4 years and is a current member of the Parcells PTO. She also served as a Room Mom for 4 years and as a basketball coach. A 26 year resident of Grosse Pointe, Colleen currently resides in Grosse Pointe Woods and has also lived in the City of Grosse Pointe and Grosse Pointe Park. Colleen was elected to the Board in 2020, and her term expires December 31, 2024. She was elected by the Board to serve as Treasurer of the Board of Education. wordenc@gpschools.org