Board Members

President: Nicole Taulbee

Nicole was elected to the Board of Education in November 2021. Nicole grew up in White Oak and currently lives in Colerain Township. Nicole and her husband Tom are Colerain High School class of 1997 graduates and have three boys; Carson age 17, a junior at Colerain High School, Austin age 12, a 6th grader at Colerain Middle School, and Blake age 7, a first grader at Colerain Elementary.

Nicole has worked at Ameritas as a Senior Data Scientist on the IT Data and Analytics team for the past 23 years. At Ameritas, Nicole has also helped lead their Community Involvement Council for over 20 years, coordinating volunteer events throughout the community.

Nicole and Tom attend White Oak Christian Church where Nicole enjoys volunteering in the pre-school area. Nicole enjoys watching her boys play sports as well as playing volleyball and softball, traveling and her families many camping trips throughout the year.

Nicole is passionate about community involvement and volunteering. She is looking forward to giving back to our district and continuing to make Northwest Local a desirable district where our students will thrive and be prepared for their future. Nicole is excited to continue building relationships with our amazing staff and connecting with families in our district.

Vice President: Mark Gilbert
Email: [email protected]

Mark was elected to the Board of Education in November 2017. Mark is a lifelong Colerain Township community member. Mark has been employed in the medical field for over 30 years where he now works as the Regional Director for Steel Valley Radiology. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati where he studied and graduated in Radiology.

Mark has been married to his wife Tia for 30 years and they have two children. Tia is employed at The Christ Hospital as an RN in the surgical services department. Their son Brandon, 25, and a Colerain Class of 2015. Brandon earned his Master Degree in 2019 from the University of Cincinnati. Hannah, 18, currently attends Colerain High School as a Senior. She participates on the Varsity Golf team and is active in the Student Senate and Honor Society. Mark is most proud of their community engagement and mission work they participate in around the world. The Gilberts attend White Oak Christian Church where they participate in many functions within the church as well as participate in Missions around the world.

Mark is proud of the impact Northwest Local School District has had, and is having on his children. He firmly believes it takes a village to provide the most for our children. It is his desire to repay that impact in his role as a Board member. His desire is to improve community awareness of the inner workings of the district. Mark is also passionate about connecting the district to the supporting townships to strengthen the community as a whole.

Member: Matt Tietsort
Email: [email protected]

Matt Tietsort was elected to the Board of Education in November 2019. Matt is a lifelong resident of Colerain Township and attended Northwest Schools. Matt has been married to his wife Angie for 27 years. They have four sons together, Alex (Colerain c/o 2012), Noah (Colerain c/o 2015), Sam (Colerain c/o 2018), and Daniel (Colerain c/o 2023). Matt and his wife enjoy fostering cats and kittens for Cincinnati Animal Care. Matt also volunteers to transport animals for Cincinnati Animal Care. Matt has been a Boy Scout leader for 20+ years and is currently Advisor for Crew 644 chartered with Izaak Walton League. Matt is also a Trustee of The Coleraine Historical Society. Matt enjoys Football, Reds baseball, traveling with his family, and attending musical concerts.

Member: Jim Detzel
Email: [email protected]

Mr. Jim Detzel was re-elected in November 2019 for his 4th term on the school board. He continues to serve as the Butler Tech Board representative from the Northwest Local School District. He serves on the Board Development/Effectiveness committee and Legislative Committee at Butler Tech.. He thoroughly enjoys his work on both boards and one of his goals is to increase the number of students from our district to enroll in the Butler Tech programs. “Butler Tech continues to expand their facilities including new construction beginning the Summer of 2021 at the Natural Science Center. The opportunities for our students are endless.” “We have so many partnerships including West Chester Hospital, giving students a jump start on their careers while they are still in high school!"

Jim continues to serve on additional district committees including the building and negotiation committees. Mr. Detzel is the recipient of the “ Warren Stevens Award”. This is awarded by the Ohio School Boards Association for Outstanding Board Member from a Neighboring District.

Jim Detzel has been the Owner of Detzel Insurance Agency since 1979. Jim is married to his wife Pam and they have three daughters - Ashley, Brittany and Lyndsay. They also have three Grandsons- Jakob, Gavin and Cooper and welcomed their first Granddaughter Kemper Jo in May.

Jim is a graduate of Northwest High School Class of 1978. Mr.Detzel volunteered as a coach for 13 years at Colerain High School, coaching track and cross country. He enjoys the time he spends getting to know all of the district kids. Jim enjoys watching all sports. He is also a huge Florida Gator fan.

Member: Christopher Heather

Phone: 513-574-6850 (Preferred method of communication)

Email: [email protected]

- Email may not be checked regularly so responses may be delayed.

Chris returns to the Northwest Board of Education after a four year break, having served three prior terms, being first elected in 2001. He is a graduate of Colerain H.S., Class of 1974, and attended Monfort Heights Elementary, and remembers when the driveway to Sam’s Club was a farm, and when he and his classmates would pet horses during recess!

Chris is a strong advocate of career technical education, as there are so many good paying opportunities today for plumbers, carpenters, and other trades people. Chris is the only current Board member who resides in Green Township.

Chris has his Bachelor’s degree from U.C., and a Doctorate in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He is the owner/medical director of The River City Mood Disorder Clinic in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. He served as a Captain in a USAF-Reserve Aeromedical Evacuation Unit.

He has worked the message board at Colerain High School football games for many years, coached and umpired for the Northwest Board of Recreation, and is active with Amvets Post 1988 in Monfort Heights. He is a licensed private pilot and Civil War historian. Most proudly, he has only missed three home UC football games in the last 40 years! He has a nephew and two nieces who graduated from Colerain High School in the early 2000’s (Phil, Stephanie, and Dianna Heather).