Board of Education

Title: Vice President

Email: Natway@canfieldschools.net

Nader Atway is a proud 1993 Ursuline High School graduate. He continued his education at Youngstown State University and received a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Biology. He is currently a Pharmaceutical District Sales Manager.

Prior to becoming a Board member, he was also active in the community as he currently serves as a Trustee for the Youngstown State University Foundation and a Board member on the Canfield Soccer Club. He takes great pride in volunteering in various avenues in the community. He enjoys watching his children in their activities and helping with their education.

Atway believes being a Cardinal means having a strong sense of pride and accomplishment. His goal as a Board member is to help advance the mission and vision of the school district as well as support all aspects of student success. He is invested in the community long term. He lives in Canfield with his wife Ayam and four children.

Title: Member

Email: mcampbell@canfieldschools.net

Matt Campbell is a 93 Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School graduate. He continued his education at John Carroll University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and began a career in education. He also has a master’s degree in education from Youngstown State University and is currently a principal at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.

Prior to becoming a Board member, Campbell was a varsity football coach in Canfield, a high school football and softball coach in Poland, a volunteer at McCune Park. Currently, he coaches youth and travel baseball, softball, basketball and flag football teams. He is a member of the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators and the Association for Career and Technical Education.

Campbell has 22 years of educational experience as a teacher, principal, and coach. He believes his experience will help guide his decisions as a Board member. His goal as a Board member is to be a servant leader for our students, teachers, parents, administrators and the entire school community. Additionally, he wants to ensure that all decisions are based on the best interest of students without personal agendas.

Mr. Campbell believes that being a Cardinal is to be passionate. He said he always knew he wanted to move to Canfield because of the reputation for placing a high priority on education and the development of well-rounded graduates. He and his wife Lisa are the parents of three children who are in the Canfield school system.

Title: President

Email: TDeCapua@canfieldschools.net

Traci DeCapua is a proud 1985 Canfield High School graduate and a 1989 DePauw University graduate. She is currently the Canfield Township Zoning Inspector. Prior to being sworn in as a Board of Education member in January of 2017, she was a substitute teacher in the district, as well as, a tutor for Canfield Village Middle School students. She was involved in the opening of the Canfield High School Cardinal Café and was a member of the Canfield Parent Teacher Organization for eleven years and served two terms as President. She was also active at St. Michael’s Church and the Welcome Wagon Organization of Canfield.

Mrs. DeCapua decided to run for the Board of Education after her children, Grant and Morgan, graduated in 2014 and 2017 respectively. She always had an interest in the school district and had several discussions with her late father, William Kinkade, who encouraged her to run for the Board. 

Her current goal as a member is to create a strong Board with multifaceted skill sets and personalities, as well as, maintain and grow relationships with the City, Township, and all stakeholders. Additionally, her focus is on student, staff, and administrative needs.

As a Board member, Mrs. DeCapua has a “Cardinal Bucket List” which includes the following:

1.     Attend at least one of each event the schools’ host

2.     Be the Cardinal Mascot (accomplished Volleyball 2019)

3.     Announce a game

4.     Drive a bus

5.     Be Mr. Moldovan for a day

Mrs. DeCapua lives with her husband, Stephen. She believes that being a Cardinal is being a motivational and visible part of the Canfield community.

Title: Member

Email: RSmallwood@CanfieldSchools.net

Bob Smallwood is a 1988 Canfield High School graduate. Upon graduation, he earned a degree in Accounting and Finance from John Carroll University in 1992 and obtained his Certified Public Accounting license in 1996.  He currently is a partner with Beard Pension Services, Inc. in Canfield. He is an active member of Saint Michael Church and serves as Chairman of its Finance Council.

Bob has been active throughout the years in everything his children have participated in from coaching baseball at the Canfield Baseball Club,  Canfield Bands, and starting the Canfield Boys/Girls Golf Team annual golf outing fundraiser.

Mr. Smallwood believes that the foundation of a strong community is its commitment to providing an emphasis on education to develop well-rounded graduates to become the future leaders of tomorrow. He is committed to working with the community to support investment in this future as the district continues to review the various options to enhance the district’s facilities to provide the most advanced and secure learning environment for teachers and students.

Bob and his wife, Jennifer, a 1993 Canfield graduate, are the proud parents of three children educated in Canfield. Bobby, attends the Ohio State University Honors program majoring in biomedical engineering/pre-med. Christopher, attending the Ohio State University Scholars program majoring in Aerospace Engineering. Finally, Lauren, attending Canfield High School.

July 2022

Title: Member

Email: dwilkeson@canfieldschools.net

Dave Wilkeson is a proud 1988 Canfield High School graduate. Mr. Wilkeson continued his education at Youngstown State University earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. He is currently a self-employed Technology Advisor for local companies as well as a national strategic advisor for tech companies. He is also an active member of the Canfield Rotary and St. Michael’s Church.

Mr. Wilkeson decided to run for the Board of Education in 2016 because he felt that he could help the district given his business background.  His goal as a Board member is to ensure that the students in Canfield receive the best education possible. He believes being a Cardinal is rooted in tradition and comradery where you genuinely know your classmates and community.   

Mr. Wilkeson and his wife, Marcie have two children. In his spare time, he enjoys golf and is a licensed private pilot.