Lannis Timmons, a long-time high school basketball coach, has been chosen by the Cincinnati Board of Education to fill the vacancy left by the death last month of board member Chris Nelms.
Timmons, who is retired from Cincinnati Public Schools, was a close friend of Nelms, who was a former professional baseball player in the Reds' farm system.
Timmons was chosen by the remaining six board members from a list of 25 people who applied. He was the unanimous choice of the board.
He'll serve out the remainder of Nelms' term, which runs through December 2019.
Timmon, a graduate of Woodward High School and Central State University, retired from the Cincinnati Public Schools in 2013. He taught physical education at Sawyer Junior High in the 1970s and at Western Hills High School from 1998 to 2001.
After a brief stint in Middletown, he returned to Western Hills High School from 1998 to 2001 as head basketball coach. He was named Cincinnati's Coach of the Year in 1999, 2000, and 2001. In 2003, he went on to Woodward High School, where he was physical education teacher and head basketball coach.
"As a retired school teacher and coach in the Cincinnati Public School district, I'm passionate about kids and education,'' Timmons said in a prepared news release. "I'm honored to work with those who now dedicate their time to our school system, our children and our community."