Board of Education Members

Photo of John Benthien

benthienb@goshenlocalschools.org

John Benthien

President
Elected 2013, recently elected to his second term.

A Goshen resident for 54 years, Mr. Benthien lives with his wife, Judy, in Pleasant Plain.  They have two children, Todd and Kyla, both Goshen graduates.

Mr. Benthien worked for the Ohio Department of Agriculture for 29 years. He has served as Elder and Clerk of Session for Pleasant Plain Presbyterian Church, the County Committee of USDA Farm Service Agency, and is a member of the Butlerville Masonic Lodge.

In addition to his years of service on the Board of Education, Mr. Benthien has served on the Goshen Local Schools Blue Ribbon Committee, the Goshen Education Foundation, and is a past patron of Goshen OES.

Photo of Deborah Gray

grayd@goshenlocalschools.org

Deborah Gray

Vice President
Elected November 2021 to her first full term after being appointed May 2019

Mrs. Gray is a 2001 graduate of Goshen High School. She and her husband Joe have two daughters, Evalyn (grade 6) and Lauren (grade 8) attending Goshen Local Schools. 

Mrs. Gray has fulfilled several roles within our community, including Vice President of the Goshen Education Foundation, member of the Business Advisory Council and Facilities Committee and a member of the Goshen Youth Basketball Board.  

Mrs. Gray has a Bachelor of Science degree from Wilmington College where she majored in Sports Administration with a minor in Business Administration and Marketing. She also has a Master of Education from Xavier University. Deborah has worked at the University of Cincinnati since 2006 where she has held many leadership roles.  Her current position is the Director of  Retention Services in the College of Nursing.  

Photo of Bill Herrera

herrerab@goshenlocalschools.org

Bill Herrera

Member
Elected November 2021 to his first full term after being appointed January 2020

Mr. Herrera is a 1988 graduate of Goshen High School. He and his wife Tori (5th grade teacher at Spaulding Elementary) have two children, Tyler, a senior at Goshen High School and Mikaela, a class of 2016 Goshen graduate.

Mr. Herrera furthered his education at Ohio University and Cincinnati State. His area of concentration was Electrical and Computer Engineering.  Bill is employed by the Ford Motor Company as a Skilled Trades Team Leader at the Sharonville Transmission Plant.   

Mr. Herrera has fulfilled several roles within our community over the course of the years. He has been involved with youth sports as a coach and a Goshen Youth Football Board Member. Since joining the school board, he has participated in the Board Leadership Development Series, OSBA Town Halls and represented Goshen at the OSBA Delegate Assembly Business Meeting. He is currently the board representative for the Goshen Education Foundation and the Community Relations Committee.  Mr. Herrera is also very involved at his church as a youth leader.   

Photo of Melissa Paprocki

paprockim@goshenlocalschools.org

Melissa Paprocki

Member
Appointed May 2022

A Goshen resident for 21 years, Mrs. Paprocki lives with her husband John, in Goshen Township.  They have three children, Austin graduated from Goshen in 2020.  Nathan is 17 and is completing his junior year at GHS.  Allison is 15 and is finishing her freshman year at GHS.

Mrs. Paprocki has a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University in Agriculture Economics.  Melissa has worked at Nestle USA as an Account and Category Manager since 2010 and prior to that in sales with Kraft Food. Melissa's experience in this work has allowed her to gain knowledge that she will be able to regularly share in her role on the Board of Education to help prepare our students for their future.

In addition to her many years as a volunteer within all the buildings of the Goshen Local School district, Mrs. Paprocki is also the current president of the Goshen Education Foundation. Mrs. Paprocki has also fulfilled several roles within our community, Boy Scout Troop 55 Executive Committee Secretary and a key volunteer on the 2019 Bond issue steering committee. 

Photo of Lisa Wernke

wernkel@goshenlocalschools.org

Lisa Wernke

Member
Appointed March 2023

Lisa and her husband Steve have been a Goshen residents for 12 years. They have one child who is a freshman at Goshen High School.

 Mrs. Wernke has been a librarian at University of Cincinnati's Law Library for 22 years. She is the Collections and Access Librarian and in this position she is responsible for the cataloging and processing the rare books, special collections, government documents, and general collection of the library.

Mrs. Wernke has been PTO chairperson for the last 6 years where she dedicated herself to providing extra opportunities for students and teachers. 

Mrs. Wernke stated “It is an honor and a privilege to be asked to serve on the Goshen Local Schools board of education. My husband and I moved to Goshen specifically for the quality of education that our son would receive. Serving on the board of education during this dynamic time of change and expansion in our community will be exciting. I am committed to ensuring that, even though our enrollment will increase, each Goshen student will continue to receive an excellent education to prepare them for their future.”

Mrs. Wernke has been actively involved in our school community in many ways over the years. She has been the Goshen Schools PTO Chairperson (6 years), PTO Treasurer (3 years), Music Boosters Secretary (2 years), Goshen Township Bicentennial Celebration Committee Co-Chair and Chairperson for the Bond Issue Committee.