Dr. Eric Lawson for Alpena Board of Education

More About Eric

Eric Lawson, who is ending his first term on the APS Board, was born in Alpena, attended school in Lansing but spent at least three months out of every year at the family home in Ossineke. Growing up between the two communities contributed to his deep appreciation of Northeast Michigan, its people and quality of life. He enjoys being in the woods or out on the water and wholeheartedly supports our youth participating in sporting activities of all kinds. He and his family have been full-time residents for the last eleven years with two children in the APS system at Sanborn Elementary and Alpena High School.

Prior to his return to Michigan, Dr. Lawson was a violin and music professor at Bismarck State, Jamestown College, University of North Dakota, Central College in Pella, Iowa and before that, Michigan Tech. He also served as Concertmaster of the Bismarck-Mandan, Grand Forks and Keweenaw symphony orchestras. Currently, he is Concertmaster of the Alpena and Gaylord symphonies and Assistant Concertmaster of the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra in Bay Harbor. He also teaches for the Alpena Symphony String School which provides lessons on violin, viola, cello and bass to students of all ages and directs the Hope Lutheran Church choir. Regarding his own education, Dr. Lawson has a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Michigan State University, a Master's from Louisiana State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Lawson has been affiliated with many local organizations and finds great satisfaction in this service. He is currently President of the Alpena Symphony Board and Chair of the Northeast Michigan Community Mental Health Board. From 2013 to 2016 he was an Alpena County Commissioner, representing Ossineke and Sanborn Townships. As a commissioner, he served on the 26th Circuit Court Committee, the County Personnel Committee, Ambulance Committee, Northern Michigan Regional Entity Substance Use Disorder board and our local District Health Department board.

He hopes to put to use for our schools and their students, his many experiences working, living, teaching and performing all over the United States as well as in Asia, Europe and South America. He feels his education certainly helped him achieve this, and the diversity of his experiences enriched his life, but they also taught him the value of common sense and traditional values such as those found here in Northeast Michigan. It is useful to know how big the world we are sending our students out into is, but it is equally important to realize how wonderful our community is and support the career paths of those students who plan to stay.

Regarding Alpena Public Schools, Dr. Lawson believes that we have a truly excellent teaching staff, great administrators, cooks, custodians, bus drivers and more who make our schools feel like home to our students. As a parent, he appreciates the effort they make in creating the best environment they can for our children and he is proud to support their work as a member of the Board of Education. Dr. Lawson's current term continues through December 31, 2024. He currently serves as Treasurer for the board.