The Richmond School Board's vacant 5th District seat attracted one applicant for questioning yesterday.
The seat is up for grabs because of the departure of Betsy Carr earlier this month after her election to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Board Chairwoman Kimberly Bridges said the division initially received résumés from two interested people but said yesterday that one had withdrawn.
The sole candidate is Maurice A. Henderson Jr., 56, an Oregon Hill resident.
Henderson currently works in science education and public outreach for NASA. He also works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
At yesterday's public interview session, Henderson was asked nine prepared questions by School Board clerk Angela Lewis. They ranged from why he wanted to sit on the board to how he has been in involved in education in general, and specifically, Richmond's schools. Not present at the meeting were board members Chandra Smith and Evette L. Wilson.
Henderson said his current role at NASA means that he can interact with students and pass on an awareness of science literacy. He said he's a community partner with two schools -- John B. Cary and Maymont elementary schools.
"The heart of any great city is its youth," Henderson said, adding that the board's role in public education is to set priorities and then make sure those priorities are being carried out every day in schools and in central office.
"The truth of my life is that you cannot have a successful organization if you can't run it well," he said.
The board is scheduled to vote on Henderson's application tomorrow. If they don't choose Henderson, the board will have to re-advertise the seat. By law, the board has 45 days from Carr's departure -- which was Jan. 7 -- to fill the seat.
If Henderson is chosen, he would fill the seat until a special election can be held in November.
Contact Holly Prestidge at (804) 649-6945 or hprestidge@timesdispatch.com.
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