We are pleased to announce that Stephanie Flittner, Jennifer Cashin, and Michele Kirby have earned our endorsement as 2026 candidates for Carmel Clay School Board, on the enthusiastic recommendation of our external team of vetters.
Flittner, Cashin, and Kirby are all current CCS parents and immensely qualified public education advocates who have each demonstrated a commitment to supporting our schools as volunteers. Each candidate, additionally, brings unique skills that will benefit the district in the years ahead.
Meet Our Endorsed Candidates
Stephanie Flittner is a CCS parent, lawyer, and community volunteer with governance and public policy experience through professional and nonprofit roles. She has stayed engaged in our schools through the Carmel Education Foundation, PTO, and school volunteering, and she understands the importance of strong public schools, meaningful parent and community engagement, and creating opportunities for all students to succeed.
Learn more about Stephanie at stephanieflittner.com.
Stephanie Flittner
District 1
After interviewing to fill a vacancy on the Board, Jennifer Cashin was appointed to the Carmel Clay Schools Board in January 2026. A mother of three current CCS students, she is an independent marketing consultant specializing in data analytics. Jennifer has been an active member of the CCS community for several years, serving on PTOs, serving on several Carmel Education Foundation committees, volunteering on the 2023 Referendum campaign, and serving as chair of Support CCS PAC from 2024-2025. Jennifer also co-founded Greyhound Council, a district-wide PTO that brings parents from all Carmel schools together to increase engagement.
Learn more about Jennifer at cashinforccs.com.
Jennifer Cashin
District 2
Michele Kirby
District 3
Michele Kirby is a Registered Nurse with IU Health’s Nursing Professional Development program and mother to five current CCS students, ages 5-16. She has served in various leadership and fundraising roles with the PTO’s at both Forest Dale Elementary and Carmel Middle School. At the district level, Kirby co-founded Greyhound Council and has guided its development into a resource for all CCS families. Michele is well-versed in building community partnerships, analyzing data, recognizing areas for improvement, identifying opportunities, securing resources, and managing projects that produce meaningful outcomes for the populations they serve.
Our Endorsement Reflects More Than an Election
Although all three candidates are running unopposed in November, Support CCS PAC feels it is important for Carmel to know and trust the people serving on our school board. This is why Support CCS opted to maintain our longstanding endorsement process and invite all candidates to apply.
An external review committee of five politically diverse Carmel residents, each with deep knowledge of our schools, evaluated each application.
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Shelley Carey (Democrat)
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Karen Glowacki (Democrat)
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Kristin Kouka (Independent)
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Joe Loomis (Independent)
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John Williams (Republican)
The reviewers unanimously recommended all three candidates for endorsement, noting especially their proven record of service, their keen understanding of the challenges facing the district, their commitment to keeping the schools student-centered while enhancing parent partnerships, and their support for teachers and staff.
“We are grateful that these three truly impressive CCS parents have stepped up to serve and lead our schools,” says Support CCS co-chair Maranda Bruckner, “and we also want to express our deepest thanks to our external reviewers for providing expert guidance. We share their view that CCS could not be in better hands, and hope that our endorsement will help assure Carmel residents, in the context of this transition to partisan school board elections, that their Board representatives are distinguished by their experience and dedication to our schools, rather than by their party affiliation. We hope this helps them feel confident that the school system so crucial to our community’s success is in the best possible hands.”
“The work these reviewers have done is incredibly important, even though these races are uncontested” says Support CCS co-chair Lindsay Ohmer. “Campaigns can be stressful, but they provide a real opportunity for voters to get to know and trust the people they are electing to the Board. We see this endorsement process as one significant way to help make up for that lost element of campaigning, and as the election approaches, we will do our best to make sure that each of our endorsed candidates has opportunities to connect with voters and hear their concerns.”