The Danville Board of Education has a new chair and vice chair following a special called meeting Monday.

Paige Matthews was voted in as chair. Matthews and fellow returning Board member Steve Becker were vying for the position. The previous chair, Lonnie Harp, did not seek re-election to the board in 2016.

“All of us, no matter who is at the top, are making sure the board is going in the right direction. We need to work together. I’ll be honored to have the position, as an alum of the district,” Matthews said, prior to the vote. “I would love the opportunity.”

Becker said he felt it was important that the board come together for students and to support Superintendent Keith Look.

The role of the board chair is to preside at meetings; appoint special committees; call special meetings of the board; countersign all orders of the board; and bring communications from outside agencies before the board. That’s in addition to the normal board member duties of making motions, seconding motions and voting at meetings.

The role of the board vice chair is to fill in when the chair is unavailable at meetings.

Susan Matherly was voted in as vice chair. Matherly, returning member, and new Board member Troy McCowan were vying for the position. Like former chair Harp, the previous vice chair, Kate Graves, did not seek re-election to the board.

Matherly said she thought about trying to serve as chair, but “I don’t know that I have the time to do that for the board.”

“I know I’ll be able to lend that support to the chair,” she said.

McCowan said it didn’t matter to him so much who was in charge, just as long as the board was working together for the kids.

“That’s what we’re here for,” McCowan said. “If we’re going to succeed, we have to get behind (Look) and make sure he succeeds. It’s for the kids.”

The next meeting of the Danville Board of Education will be a working session, scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the Bate Middle School Library.

Follow Kendra Peek on Twitter, @knpeek.