A longtime former Northampton Area School District school director has been appointed to the board of education.

David L. Gogel will represent Region 3, the area of Bath and Chapman boroughs and Moore Township.

The NASD school board voted 6-2 to appoint Gogel at a special meeting Oct. 6 in the Northampton Area High School auditorium.

After he was elected at the meeting, Gogel took the oath of office from Sharon Moyer, notary public, from King, Spry, Herman, Freund and Faul LLC, solicitor for NASD.

“I have worked with David (Gogel) for 15 years. He has always had the best interests of the school district,” NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph S. Kovalchik said after Gogel was sworn in.

Gogel fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Brian McCulloch, whose resignation was accepted by the school board at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Gogel was nominated by board Vice President Nathan Lichtenwalner, and his nomination was seconded by Director Ross Makary. Voting to appoint Gogel were school board President Kristin Soldridge, Lichtenwalner and school directors Michael Baird, John Becker, Joshua Harris and Makary.

Voting against Gogel were school Directors Parker Flamisch and Doug Vaughn.

Gogel will serve until December 2027.

Gogel is one of three school directors representing Region 3. Also representing Region 3 are Harris and Flamisch. Harris’ term expires in December 2027. Flamish’s term expires in December 2025. Flamisch is a candidate on the ballot for the election Nov. 4.

Gogel previously served on the school board from 2003 to 2023, including 13 years as school board president.

He lost a Region 3 reelection bid in the 2023 primary election to Harris and McCulloch. Two Region 3 representatives could be elected.

Gogel sought a Region 3 seat earlier in 2025. He was among three candidates, including Flamisch and Jamie Shankweiler Marchiano, in the May primary election who sought to succeed Kim Bretzik, who represented Region 3.

Bretzik submitted her school director resignation March 7, and it was accepted by the school board at the meeting April 14. Because the winner of the May primary for Region 3 would not be appointed until December, the school board posted a Region 3 board vacancy.

Applicants to fill the remainder of Bretziks’s term were interviewed at a special school board meeting April 30 in the cafeteria of Northampton Area Middle School. Flamisch was appointed to fill the Region 3 seat. Other applicants were Gogel, Shankweiler Marchiano and Gerald Bretzik, Kim Bretzik’s husband.

At the Oct. 6 meeting, in addition to Gogel, Katie Hoch and Vicky Woodard were interviewed to represent Region 3. Gerald Bretzik had applied to represent Region 3 but did not attend the meeting.

It was reported by a school official to a reporter for Northampton Press that Gerald Bretzik had withdrawn his application in an email to NASD Business Administrator Craig Neiman before the meeting.

The Oct. 6 meeting, which began 5:30 p.m. and concluded 6:25 p.m., included interviews with the three applicants and the nomination, vote and swearing in. No members of the estimated 25 persons in attendance asked questions. Soldridge asked 10 or so questions of each applicant.

Woodard, the first to be interviewed, said she lived in Lebanon County before moving into the school district.

Referring to security screening in the NAHS lobby whereby school board attendees must walk through an airport-style metal detector, Woodard said, “I don’t know how long it’s been that you can’t just walk into a school building.”

When asked about her community involvement, Woodard said, “I’m not. I know a couple of students. That’s it. As a school board member, I would change that.”

Hoch, who was the third to be interviewed, said she has two daughters who attend Moore Elementary School, where she said she participates in parent-teacher organization activities and is a soccer and basketball coach. She said she is a Girl Scout leader.

“I have gained a variety of perspectives,” Hoch said.

Gogel, who was the second to be interviewed, said his goal is “to make the community a better place.”

“I have served the community a long time,” Gogel said.

Gogel graduated from Northampton High School in 1969, Lehigh Carbon Community College in 1972 and Kutztown University in 1974. Gogel has been a resident of Region 3 since 1981. Gogel was a schoolteacher at Berks County Career and Technology Center from 1974 to 1977.

He worked at his father’s NAPA Auto Parts 1977-81, working in the machine and service shop repairing vehicles. He then opened David Gogel’s Auto Parts, retiring in 2023.

Gogel served on the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School board 2003-23, where he was chairman seven times and on the BAVTS authority for six years. He was on the Moore Township Planning Commission for eight years.

He has been a member of Moore Township Lions Club since 1983 and a member of Monocacy Lodge of Freemasons No. 413 since 1988, serving as worshipful master in 2003.

Gogel will rejoin the NASD school board at its next meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 13 in the NAHS auditorium, 1619 Laubach Ave.