SELMA — The Rev. Coley Chestnut Sr. has announced his candidacy for president of the Selma City School Board in the Oct. 27 election.

The school board president is elected at-large.

Chestnut is the vice president of the Selma City School Board.

“While it is a privilege to serve the Selma community as a member of the Selma City School Board, such a responsibility is of the utmost importance,” Chestnut said. “The process of successfully educating each student in our school district requires the engaging of school and community leaders, students and parents committed to an effective educational experience.”

He said he is committed to identifying and implementing strategic curriculums to connect with the uniqueness of each student’s ability.

“If elected I will advocate to collaborate with community stakeholders to build upon the strengths of the current educational teams and recruit the best and brightest educators into our community,” Chestnut said.

He is a native of Selma and a 1973 graduate of Selma High School.

Chestnut received his bachelor’s from Alabama A&M University in 1977 and his master’s in ministry in 1998 from Birmingham Theological Seminary.

In 2004, Chestnut retired from the state as the chaplain of Kilby Correctional Facility. He is the senior pastor of Fresh Anointing House of Worship. Chestnut also is director of the Selma Dallas Prevention Collaborative.

He is married to Tonya Smith Chestnut of Selma. His children are Tameka, Karley , Tamela, Coleysia and Coley II.