Joining him at the swearing in ceremony were more than four dozen supporters, family members and some Republican state, Butler County and local township office holders who publicly campaigned for the 18-year-old as Nguyen who won a November election victory as one of the few teenaged Ohioans to ever win a local school board seat.
Among Nguyen’s political supporters at the event were Ohio Senator George Lang , R-West Chester Twp., Butler County Auditor Nance Nix, West Chester Twp. Trustee Mark Welch and others.
The now Miami freshman, who is studying finance at the university, told the Journal-News prior to his swearing in ceremony his rare political victory reflects more on America and others than himself.
“This is a great country where anyone can go ahead and do anything and I’m so deeply grateful that this community has given me the great privilege and honor to invest in the future of our students,” said Nguyen.
“Where a lot of people may well spend their college years fooling around, I get to spend these next four years immersed in service and the honor of investing in our students.”
Nguyen, whose term won’t officially begin until Jan. 12 at the board’s first meeting in 2026, was praised by the local lawmakers who backed his campaign that included a focus on fiscal responsibility, political conservatism and accountability to school parents in 17,000-student district that includes Liberty and West Chester townships.
In recent years, the Lakota board had periodically been a flashpoint of contentiousness over a series of issues that some believe may have energized a conservative base of voters seeking a new voice on the board overseeing the largest suburban school system in southwest Ohio.
Michael McNamara, Butler County Treasurer, was one of the first to encourage and support Nguyen to seek office and at the school board meeting in the auditorium of Lakota East Freshman School he conducted the swearing in ceremony that included current board member Isaac Adi.
After the ceremony, McNamara described Nguyen as “exceptional.”
“He has a depth to him that a lot of people don’t have but he also brings a different perspective to the school board that is important.”
If the school board, he said, “is really seeking diversity, then having somebody who is a recent graduate and who understands what today’s (job) market is looking at and what is needed in the schools,” is an asset.
“If they (board members) listen to him and take his recommendations, he will be a positive force for the school board.”
Nix, who held a campaign fund-raiser for Nguyen at her home, described the first-time office holder as “so intelligent, well-spoken and he knows history.”
“He has a way with people and he cares about the school district. There are a lot of people here who supported him and we are super excited. You usually don’t see this sort of crowd for a (school board) swearing in ceremony,” said Nix.
Starting at the board’s Jan. 12 meeting, Nguyen will share board seats with fellow political newcomer Alex Argo and Kelley Casper, who won re-election in November. Also on the board will be veteran member and current board President Julie Shaffer and Douglas Horton.
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