Omer Wiczyk and Kevin Ziegler Nominated for Scarsdale School Board

The 2026 School Board Nominating Committee (“SBNC” or the “Committee”) has selected Omer Wiczyk and Kevin Ziegler for the 2026 non-partisan slate for election to the Scarsdale Board of Education. The Committee chose Omer and Kevin from a pool of dedicated candidates after a thorough vetting process. If elected during the school board election on May 19, 2026, Omer and Kevin will assume their roles as first-term school board members effective July 1, 2026.

The Candidates

The SBNC enthusiastically endorses Omer and Kevin for election to the School Board. These two qualified candidates will bring different perspectives and draw on complementary backgrounds and experiences to serve our community. What they have in common is a deep commitment to maintaining the excellence of the Scarsdale schools and serving different constituents. Upon notification of being slated, both candidates expressed gratitude to the SBNC members and Chairpeople for their diligence and hard work during this slating process and, voiced that if elected in May, each looks forward to serving our incredible Scarsdale community and working collaboratively with the other Board of Education members and Scarsdale School District Administration to support our students and move our schools forward.

Omer Wiczyk

Omer has been a resident of Scarsdale for 10 years where he and his wife have raised their two children. He has demonstrated a deep commitment to public service, both professionally and personally. Omer holds a BA from Brandeis University and a JD from NYU School of Law. He spent twenty years at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. While there, he was a Supervisor with the Rackets Bureau, followed by being the Deputy Chief and later Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau. In 2024, he joined The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law as Senior Counsel, where he now works to protect civil rights in education.Omer Wiczyk

In his personal life, Omer continues this commitment to service for our local community. He has served as a member and then Chairperson of Scarsdale’s Citizens’ Nominating Committee (CNC), as well as on the CNC Election Committee. He is a member of the Scarsdale Forum, including holding the role of President. Omer currently serves as the Chair of Scarsdale’s Judicial Qualifying Committee and is on Scarsdale’s Advisory Council on Communications. These roles, while often behind the scenes, are essential to the health of our community, and Omer took them on with seriousness and pride.

As a seasoned litigator, Omer brings strong analytical skills, sound judgment, and the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively. His legal background, combined with his experience in commercial real estate and finance through his family’s business, gives him valuable insight into complex operational and financial matters. Just as important, he is described as warm, approachable, hardworking, and genuinely invested in the people around him. These attributes, paired with the deep knowledge he has of our community based on his years of volunteering and his professional experience, position him to be a welcome addition to the School Board.

Kevin Ziegler

Kevin, his wife, and their three sons have been thrilled to call Scarsdale home since 2023. Kevin holds a BS in Journalism from Ohio University and an MBA from Northwestern University. Kevin is the Vice President for Global Distribution for Hyatt Hotels Corporation, overseeing a global team that is  accountable for strategy, technology management, and negotiations for Hyatt’s largest booking channel partnerships. He previously worked in leadership roles for Marriott International, and before entering the lodging industry, Kevin worked for ten years in public relations in media and crisis management. He was Manager of Communications at Cleveland Clinic, Senior Account Executive at the PR firm Dix & Eaton, and Kevin ZieglerDirector of Strategic Communications at Cleveland State University.

In addition to his professional experience, Kevin also brings volunteer and civic experience. During his time in Cleveland, he served for five years on an appointed committee advising the city of Cleveland Heights on the allocation of several million dollars annually of federal grants to a combination of community agencies and infrastructure priorities. He has also served as an advisory board member for American Hotel and Lodging Association and HSMAI (hotel sales/marketing professional association). Kevin is a coach for Scarsdale Little League as well as the Scarsdale basketball clinics, and a member of the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association.

Kevin is described as being analytical, a thoughtful listener and communicator, collaborative, and a person of integrity who very much cherishes a strong public education system. These attributes, combined with his financial, managerial, and PR acumen make him a strong candidate for the School Board.

The Committee 

The SBNC is a non-partisan committee comprised of 30 voting members (with representatives from each of the five elementary  districts) who serve for a three year term, and is chaired by two non-voting members. Over the course of Sunday meetings from January through March, this year’s committee conducted extensive candidate outreach to encourage interested community members to apply, listened to applicant presentations, questioned them, conducted detailed due diligence on all applicants, and considered potential candidates’ qualifications and characteristics. Pursuant to the SBNC Resolution, committee deliberations concerning candidates are confidential and the SBNC selects candidates “solely on their qualifications to serve the community” and not on their campaigning abilities or positions on specific issues. All discussions, deliberations, and references shared in Committee are instructed to be kept confidential. Informed and engaged residents willing to serve on the SBNC and the School Board, along with voter participation, help to ensure the highest quality school board leadership. 

The SBNC congratulates Omer and Kevin on their nomination and thanks all applicants who went through the nominating process. “We are grateful to the Committee members for their dedication, hard work, and thoughtful consideration, to the applicants for their demonstrated commitment to our community which was further evidenced by their courageous willingness to participate in our rigorous selection process, and to the broader Scarsdale community for its support of the SBNC's efforts to help shape the excellence of the Scarsdale schools and ensure student success and wellbeing,” noted the Chair and Vice-Chair of the SBNC for 2025-26 comprised of Jenny Simon Tabak and Jennifer Zola.

Voters in the School District are encouraged to vote on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 in the Scarsdale Middle School Gym. In addition to voting for two School Board seats, District voters will also be voting on a proposed School District Budget for the 2026-27 school year and a School Capital Improvements Bond. 

For more information on the SBNC, please visit our website at http://scarsdalesbnc.org or contact the SBNC Chair.  Inquiries and contacts concerning this press release:  [email protected]

Please Participate

Scarsdale is fortunate to maintain a nonpartisan election process for the Board of Education that selects candidates based solely on their qualifications to serve, not on their campaigning abilities or positions on specific issues. Informed and engaged residents willing to serve on the SBNC and the School Board, along with voter participation, help to ensure the highest quality school board leadership. Please consider serving or suggesting other school district residents to fill future vacancies. You can do so at any time by emailing [email protected].

In addition, please consider a donation to the SBNC. The SBNC elections and process are financed by your contributions alone. Donations are solely used for running the SBNC elections and not towards any candidate. Any amount would be appreciated. Please visit https://scarsdalesbnc.org/please-donate/