The Demopolis Board of Education appointed Linda Russell as its chairperson Wednesday.

She takes over from Bobby Armstead, whose term expired in May.

Armstead has served two full terms on the board of education and should have relinquished his seat this month. However, the Demopolis City Council has been unable to reach an agreement on his replacement. Armstead will continue to serve until a nominee is successfully voted on and appointed.

Jim Stanford, who has served as vice-chairman for the past two years, was reappointed vice-chairman for a third term Wednesday.

“It’s been an interesting ride,” said Russell, who is one year into her second term and has been a board member for six years. “This is just another step of my service.”

Russell said she’s worked over the years to be objective and open-minded and would like to follow in Armstead’s footsteps in trying to unify the board on action times.

“We’re going to continue to be honest and fair,” she said. “We feel like we’ve got a great school system and want to keep going in the right direction.”