Four candidates running for the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees will square off at a free public forum Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Lone Star College System Office in The Woodlands.

Doors open at 5 p.m. at 5000 Research Forest Drive near Gosling. The forum starts at 5:30 p.m. and is expected to wrap up around 7 p.m., according to Woodlands Online, which is co-hosting the event with Community Impact. Woodlands Online will also livestream the forum.

Admission is free.

Sean K. Thompson, news and content editor for Woodlands Online, and Vanessa Holt, senior editor for Community Impact - The Woodlands, will co-moderate.

Four of the seven candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot have confirmed they will participate:

  • Position 1: Ryan Tsamouris, a cloud security architect and 19-year Montgomery County resident who co-chairs the Conroe ISD School Health Advisory Council
  • Position 2: Robin Deferrari, a retired oil and gas executive and Woodlands High School PTO treasurer, and Destinee Milton, a former Conroe ISD teacher who now works as an instructional designer
  • Position 3: Phillip Martin, a school finance professional with more than 20 years of experience

Three candidates do not appear on the confirmed list: Position 1 incumbent Aggie Gambino, Position 2 candidate Rodney Hammer and Position 3 incumbent Misty Odenweller. No explanation for their absence was provided.

Deferrari wrote in an Oct. 7 candidate questionnaire, "I am not beholden to any PAC or outside interests. I answer only to CISD families and the community."

Residents who want to submit questions for the debate can email [email protected] before 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12. The forum format gives each candidate time to introduce themselves and lay out their platform before moderators shift to a structured debate with audience-submitted questions.

Seven candidates are competing for three at-large seats. Trustees serve four-year terms, according to the district's election page. The CISD races are part of a packed Nov. 3 ballot facing Woodlands-area voters.

Early voting runs Oct. 19 through Oct. 30. Election Day polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.