MADISON – To recognize January as School Board Member Appreciation Month, the school community is acknowledging the five members of Madison Board of Education.

Currently, board members are Vice President Travis Cummings, President Tim Holtcamp, Alice Lessmann, Scott Newberry and Tommy Overcash.

“They put in tons of time and effort over their five-year terms, serving without compensation,” John Peck said. Peck is Manager of Public Relations for Madison City Schools.

“You may see them at board meetings, school plays and band performances. Or at the football stadium, in gyms at basketball and volleyball games or poolside at swim and dive competitions,” Peck said.

In his District Update, MCS Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols credited board members as “selfless.” The current board, along with former members, “deserve much of the credit for the total school experience in MCS and placing at or near the top of many state and national school system rankings.”

Travis Cummings, board vice president, was appointed to Madison Board of Education in 2018. Cummings has served on Middle School Transition Advisory Panel, Policy Committee and other panels. Before his appointment, Cummings advocated for public education by traveling with state legislators to Montgomery.

Cummings earned a master’s degree in community and regional planning from Alabama A&M University. He works as Zoning Enforcement Coordinator for Huntsville Planning Department. He and wife, Dimika, have one son, Cameron, who attends Mississippi State University. tcummings@madisoncity.k12.al.us

Tim Holtcamp, board president, was appointed in 2015 and reappointed in 2020. He previously volunteered for MCS Capital Planning, Policy and Accreditation committees.

Holtcamp earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Auburn University. He works as a Program Manager at Parsons in Huntsville.

A Huntsville and Madison County native, he and wife Misty returned to Madison in 1997. The Holtcamps have one child attending Liberty Middle School; their two older children study at Auburn. tholtcamp@madisoncity.k12.al.us

Appointed in November 2020, Alice Lessman has assisted MCS Capital Planning, Growth and Rezoning committees, along with PTA. She received 2020 Executive Leadership and Service Award from Madison Chamber of Commerce.

Lessmann is CEO of Signalink Inc., specializing in engineering and systems Integration within federal markets. She was named 2021 Female Entrepreneur of the Year by Catalyst Center.

An area native, Lessmann served 21 years in Alabama National Guard. She and husband, Steve, have two children who attend Bob Jones High School. The Lessmanns were named 2020 Madison Family of the Year.

Alice Lessmann has massive credentials in volunteering, including Leadership Greater Huntsville, UAH’s Women in Technology Board, Huntsville-Madison Chamber of Commerce, Catalyst’s Veterans’ Steering Committee, Women’s Economic Development Council and Women in Defense. Alessmann@madisoncity.k12.al.us

Scott Newberry is Director of Software Engineering at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and collaborates with software developers, informatics architects and health informaticists. Working 11-plus years at HudsonAlpha, Newberry and his team led software design to analyze genomic and clinical datasets to support the interpretation of genomic data.

Newberry graduated from Auburn with degrees in software engineering and applied mathematics. snewberry@madisoncity.k12.al.us

Tommy Overcash joined the school board in September 2022, after representing District 5 on Madison City Council for 16 years and President for eight stints.

Tommy and wife Debbie are natives of Starkville, Miss. and friends since childhood. The Overcashes have lived in Madison County since 1980. Their sons – Cameron, Chandler and Mason – and two daughters-in-law are MCS products. The Overcashes have six grandchildren. They were selected 2001 Madison Family of the Year.

Tommy Overcash holds a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University in electrical engineering and an MBA in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology. He works as a Senior Software/Systems Engineer with Willbrook Solutions.

His wide-ranging service work has covered PTA, sports/band booster, Madison Optimist Club, honorary Rotarian, library support, historic preservation, arts council, Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Huntsville/Madison County, utility boards, police foundation, Madison on Track 2045 and Industrial Development Board. Tommy and his sons are Eagle Scouts. tovercash@madisoncity.k12.al.us