Portola Valley Elementary School District governing board members said goodbye on Nov. 17 to trustee Anne Fazioli-Khiari, who decided over the summer not to run for reelection this fall.

Fazioli-Khiari, who has lived in Portola Valley with her husband and two children since 2010, joined the board in 2019. Before serving on the board, she was chair of the $49.5 million Measure Z facilities bond campaign, chair of the Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee, PTO cultural affairs coordinator and an AYSO board member.

"As a lifelong advocate for public education, Anne has supported the school district in many roles, from field trip driver and classroom volunteer to her present role as clerk of the governing board," according to a district Instagram post. "Her extensive involvement with the school district and community at large allowed her to gain a keen understanding of the expectations and aspirations of our community."

The post continued by offering her best wishes and "many, many thanks to Anne for the hard work, countless hours, and sound and fair minded decision making and guidance. She will be missed."

Fazioli-Khiari said she was glad to serve the community during such a critical time. She said that her role on the board over the last three years, with the COVID-19 pandemic, major construction and other issues facing the district, has not been far behind the challenges of her experience volunteering for the Peace Corps in Panama.

Trustee Aimee Armsby complimented Fazioli-Khiari on her efficiency, kindness and no-nonsense attitude.

"To be able to combine all those things in one person is pretty remarkable," she said.

Helen Wolter, district representative for State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, commended Fazioli-Khiari for her service to the board on behalf of Becker.

In 2019, Fazioli-Khiari was appointed by the board in lieu of an election because the number of qualified candidates in the race was equal to the number of open seats.

Fellow trustees Armsby and Bob Bauer opted to run for reelection and will stay in their seats in December. They will be reappointed at a Dec. 15 meeting since the election was canceled because it was an uncontested race.