OLEAN — A new member of the Olean City School District Board of Education, but a familiar name to the region, was sworn in Tuesday as the board president

Catharine Young was elected to lead the board for the 2025–26 school year. She previously took her school board oath of office July 2 in the district clerk’s office.

In the May 20 election, the former state senator received 1,097 votes, while Aubree Malick, who received 958, and Alex Calbi, who received 861, were sworn in May 21 to fill two vacant seats. As the top vote getter, Young will serve a five-year term, replacing former board president Kelly Keller, who did not seek re-election.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity and working together as a team,” Young said. “There’s a lot of really positive things that I think we can do together.”

Young served in the State Legislature for more than 20 years, representing Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Allegany and a portion of Livingston counties. She was the first woman in state history to serve as chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and prioritized jobs and economic opportunities, quality education, healthcare and tax relief.

Olean High School senior Ava Moses takes her oath as a student member of the board of education.

Kellen M. Quigley/Olean Times Herald

In 2019, Young stepped down from the Senate and became executive director of the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech, an economic development organization focused on growing agriculture, agriculture technology and food businesses across the state.

Young earned a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude in Mass Communication from St. Bonaventure University. The mother of three Olean High graduates, she has three grandchildren who currently or will attend Olean schools.

Young said a goal she has for the board this year is to look into why over 200 students have left the district to attend school outside Olean. She suggested reaching out to the families and seeing what the district could do to encourage more students to attend Olean City Schools again.

“There’s issues we’d like to address regarding safety and absenteeism and all kinds of things,” she said. “I really want to do it as a team, and I think we have a lot of talent here around this table. … You care about the schools very deeply and you care about the community, and that’s why you’re here.”

Also part of reorganizational matters, Julio Fuentes was elected vice president. Fuentes had also been nominated for board president, having previously served in that role.

Olean High School senior Olivia Black takes her oath as a student member of the board of education.

Fuentes was elected to the school board in 2021 and has since served on several board committees as well as board president for the 2023–24 school year. He has lived in the Olean City School District for 26 years, playing multiple sports for Olean schools.

Fuentes went on to study criminal justice at Alfred University before suffering a catastrophic spinal cord injury during a Saxons football game in 2006. He returned to AU in 2019 as a double major in psychology and sociology with a concentration in counseling.

Two non-voting board members selected to represent the student body also took their oaths at Tuesday’s reorganizational meeting — incoming high school seniors Ava Moses and Olivia Black.

Moses said she’s excited about joining the board and bridging the gaps between the students and the administration and teachers in the schools. Moses noted that she is a member of the Model United Nations and will begin her third year on varsity volleyball this fall.

Black also shared her excitement about being a voice for the students on the board. Black noted that she is a member of Model UN and Diversity Club and plays on the varsity golf team.