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In a special called meeting of the Escambia County Board of Education on Tuesday, an Atmore resident was tapped to fill the remaining term of David Nolin who passed away last week from complications of COVID-19.

“I want to suggest Sherry Digmon for the position,” said board member Danny Benjamin. “She is very knowledgeable and worked very well in the position previously.”

Digmon previously served as the representative on the board for District 6 which covers the Atmore area. She was defeated in a run for re-election to the seat in 2016 by Nolin.

BOE member Mike Edwards said he had spoken to Digmon and said she indicated she would be willing to fill the vacancy left by Nolin’s death.

“I called her and she said she would be willing to serve,” Edwards said. “She served before and served well. For any new person, there would be a learning curve. She is in and out of our schools and knows the system well.”

After some discussion, Edwards made a motion to appoint Digmon to the position. Loumeek White seconded the motion with a unanimous vote of approval from all board members present.

Digmon will serve in the position for the next 13 months, until the original term Nolin was elected to is completed.

Filling the vacancy was somewhat urgent, according to board attorney Kirk Garrett.

“I realize we are doing this quickly, but our timeline is short,” Garrett told the board. “You have 30 days as a board to elect someone to serve the remainder of Mr. Nolin’s term. That’s 30 days from his passing. If that isn’t done in 30 days, we have to notify the State Board of Education and they would appoint someone to the position.”

By appointing Digmon to the position, the board avoided having a state appointed replacement.