2 selected to serve on Camden’s advisory school board

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The Camden City School District’s advisory board has selected Derrick Gallashaw and Gabriel Camacho to serve on the board through January 2026.

Gallashaw is the senior director of Mighty Writers in Camden, a nonprofit that holds writing workshops for kids. Prior to joining Mighty Writers in 2023, he was a middle-to-high school transition manager with the Center For Family Services.

Gallashaw had also worked for Rowan University’s CHAMP/GEAR UP program for nearly a decade where he started as an academic counselor and left as assistant director of pre-college programs.

Gallashaw, who only submitted a resume and not his letter of intent, said a school board should work on policies and programs that go towards helping students thrive. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business finance from William Paterson University and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Rowan University.

Camacho is the director of code enforcement for the city of Camden. He served for more than two decades as a police officer in Camden for both the old city-run force and the current agency managed by the county. He moved to Harissonburg, Virginia between his time in Camden, where he recently served as the top cop.

As deputy chief in Virginia, Camacho created a Facebook page for the department to reach the city’s Spanish-speaking population.

Camacho during his interview echoed parts of his letter of intent, that a board member is crucial in “representing the community’s needs and values and advocating for students in the city.”

Once background checks are completed, they will assume the remaining terms of former Board President Wasim Muhammad and Nyemah Gillespie, both of whom stepped down in September.

Muhammad was pressured to resign by residents and state officials following the district settling a civil suit that stemmed from allegations that Muhammad fostered a sexually hostile learning environment when he was a middle school teacher in the mid-1990s.

Nyemah Gillespie, a longtime board member, cited Muhammad’s actions as part of her reasoning for departing the board.

Officials did not release the names of the candidates before the meeting. When WHYY News received the list, 10 names were on the list. One person was unable to attend due to a family emergency. The board ultimately interviewed nine people for the two vacant seats.

On Friday, WHYY News received the resumes of seven people who were interviewed through an open records request.

Among the other interviewees were Sean Brown, who served on the old Camden school board prior to the state’s takeover of the district, and Samir Nichols, president of the Camden City Young Democrats.

Each individual participated in a 15-minute interview, during which they were all asked the same questions: why do you want to serve, what skills would you bring to the board, describe your non-profit experience, among other things.

The interview questions were made available to applicants ahead of the board meeting. Some of the candidates wrote their answers down and read them back to the board.

The board made its decision after a 45-minute executive session.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that one of the 10 board candidates was qualified, but was unable to attend the meeting.