Board of Trustees

The Fortuna Union High School District Board of Trustees meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month in the Fortuna High School Library at 6:00 PM.

Upcoming Board Meetings:
September 10, 2024, October 8, 2024, November 12, 2024, December 10, 2024

Meet our Board of Trustees

Seth McGrath, President - Term expires 2026

Seth came to the Eel River Valley in early 2016 to open the Fortuna Grocery Outlet with his wife Stefanie. They have three children, Spencer, Trent and Hayden.

Seth was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe. He began his career at Raley's Superstore in 1997 where he spent 16 years, 8 of which were as a Store Director. In 2013, Seth made the decision to jump into the family business and join the Grocery Outlet family. Seth and Stefanie trained in South Lake Tahoe to own and operate their own store and in 2014 were awarded a store in Fresno, CA. After spending a year in Fresno, they decided that it was time to find a place to set roots. Seth and Stefanie fell in love with the Eel River Valley and they are proud to call Fortuna their home. 

Seth looks forward to bringing his business experience to the board and working with the other trustees to uphold the mission and vision of the district.

Mr. McGrath can be contacted at sethmcgrath21@gmail.com

Gabe Charlton, Vice President - Term expires 2024

Gabe has resided in Humboldt County most of his life and specifically in Fortuna since 2010. He is married to Humboldt native Libby Charlton and they have a beautiful 12-year-old daughter, Aubrey.  Gabe graduated from St. Bernard High School in 1997 and is a graduate of College of the Redwoods.

Gabe has had a career in Law Enforcement for nearly 19 years.  In 2009, he joined the Fortuna Police Department as a Police Officer and is currently a Patrol Sergeant. 

Gabe believes in a safe learning environment and is committed to keeping students and staff safe within the district.  he looks forward to bringing my leadership skills and abilities to the board and working together with other trustees for the good of the district.

Mr. Charlton can be reached at: charltongabe@gmail.com

Jeana McClendon, Trustee - Term expires 2024

Jeana has resided in Humboldt County since 1983.  She is married to Humboldt Native, Kevin McClendon.  They are the proud parents of two boys, Connor and Cameron McClendon.  She is a 1997 graduate of Fortuna High School.

Mrs. McClendon has been self-employed since 2001.  She has a variety of business interests that span from commercial real estate to coin-op laundries.  In addition, she holds a full-time position as the Vice President of George's Glass, Inc. in which she co-owns with her husband.  She prides herself on hard work, honesty and integrity.

Being a contributing member to our community is one of Jeana's strong beliefs.  She currently serves on the Fortuna Planning Commission as well as the Eel River Little League Board of Directors.  Past service includes Cuddeback Union School District School Board, Headwaters Fund Board of Directors, FBID Board of Directors and Fortuna Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Mrs. McClendon believes in maintaining fiscal responsibility as well as student and staff safety in the district. 

Mrs. McClendon can be contacted at jeanachristina@yahoo.com 

Anita Gage, Clerk - Term expires 2026

Anita Gage retired from Fortuna High School in 2004 after teaching English there for 20 years. She also worked with the Humboldt County Office of Education in the Career Education Department for four years and with the Denver Public Schools for eight years.

She has written federal grants, developed state-wide curriculum in career education and worked as an educational liaison with the Colorado State Legislature, as well as provided inservice career education, writing and gender equity.

Mrs. Gage graduated Magna Cum Laude From the University of Colorado in Speech and Theatre after also attending San Diego State University and California Lutheran University. She received her MA in Education Administration from Humboldt State University.

Mrs. Gage can be reached at gagea@sonic.net

Kendra Dwelley Guimaraes, Trustee - Term expires 2024

Kendra Dwelley Guimaraes attended Fortuna High School. She graduated from UC Davis with high honors and a double major in English and Spanish and later attended Florida International University (FIU) to attain an MFA. She has taught English in private schools in Spain and Brazil and since 2002, has taught English at FIU, Western New Mexico University, Solano Community College, and Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) where she was a tenure track professor of English and ESL.

Upon moving back to Fortuna in 2007 with her husband, Andre, and daughters Mariza and Isadora, she has continued to teach part-time online for LTCC and to create wellness programs for public schools, including the non-profit, The Writing Well with the Ink People Dream Makers and a series of mindfulness workshops for elementary and high school teachers.

Kendra is committed to cultivating respectful and enlivening collaboration between administration, teachers, staff, students, and the community to strive for quality education, racial equity, and creative solutions for issues on campus.

Mrs. Dwelley Guimaraes can be reached at: kendradwelley@gmail.com.