William Keithler, who ran for the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education last year, is now serving on the board after being appointed to fill the seat vacated by Hope Cotter.
Keithler was sworn in Sept. 14 as a Hopewell Township representative. Business Administrator and Board Secretary Heather Pyle administered the oath at the start of the board’s regular meeting.
After completing the oath, Board President Anita Williams Galiano welcomed Keithler to the board before the meeting moved into regular business.
Keithler’s appointment brings him to the board less than a year after he first sought a seat.
He was one of three candidates seeking two Hopewell Township seats in the November 2025 election. Cotter and incumbent Amanda Stylianou were elected, while Keithler finished third. Cotter was sworn in to her first term in January.
Her tenure was short-lived. Cotter resigned effective June 30 after moving from Hopewell Township to Hopewell Borough, leaving her unable to continue representing the Township on the regional board.
The vacancy left the board to appoint a Hopewell Township resident to serve through the end of the year. Voters will decide in November who will serve the final two years of Cotter’s unexpired term.
Keithler is also the only candidate who filed to run for that two-year seat in the Nov. 3 election. Three other Hopewell Township seats carrying full three-year terms are also on the ballot.
Keithler brings financial background
Keithler told MercerMe during last year’s campaign that he grew up in neighboring Montgomery Township and graduated from Montgomery High School before college and his career took him away from the area.
He and his wife moved back to Central Jersey in 2020 to be closer to family, and their two sons attend Hopewell Elementary School.
Professionally, Keithler works in the investment office of a large insurance company. He told MercerMe last year that he has two decades of experience managing department budgets and expertise in fixed-income markets, including school district-issued municipal bonds.
During the campaign, Keithler pointed to the district’s financial and capital needs as areas where he believed that experience could be useful.
“At a time when we have $80+ million of targeted capital improvements and a lot of moving pieces in the district budget, I believe my background and experience would be additive to the board,” Keithler told MercerMe in his 2025 candidate questionnaire.
Asked then how the district should confront enrollment growth, rising costs and aging infrastructure, Keithler said he would emphasize transparency and long-term planning.
“In either scenario, I commit to pragmatic, transparent decisions that prioritize the health and safety of our students and allow us to attract and retain world class teachers and empower them to bring their best every day to the classroom,” he said.
Keithler will serve in the appointed position through the end of the year. The winner of the November election will take over the seat in January and serve the remaining two years of Cotter’s term.
