DeLandite Jaclyn Carrell was appointed to the DeLand Public Mural Art Committee by the City Commission Aug. 21.

Carrell, who ran for Volusia County School Board last year, said the mural committee is a “perfect fit” given her involvement with local organizations.

Carrell is the incoming vice president of the Museum of Art – DeLand Guild, the incoming president of the Fall Festival of the Arts DeLand, and the president-elect of Rotaract DeLand.

“I believe art plays a critical role in education and community,” Carrell told the DeLand City Commission, “and DeLand’s public murals are an important step in ensuring access and exposure to art for both residents and visitors alike.”

Her interest in the arts developed when she was a kid, Carrell said, and she has fostered an interest in the arts for her three — and soon to be four — children, too.

While appointments to municipal boards and committees can often serve as a steppingstone to a greater political career, Carrell said she’s not currently interested in running for public office again.

“I would never say never,” she told The Beacon. “If I were ever to be in that position again, it would have to be something where I felt there was a need to fill.”

When Carrell ran for School Board in the 2022 election, she squarely targeted hot-button topics like removing so-called critical race theory in local schools and opposing COVID-19-related mask mandates.

But her personal opinions, Carrell said, never get in the way of professional or community work.

“I can work with people I disagree with. I appreciate that everyone has a different background, a different belief system,” she said. “I think differences are what make our community great, our country great.”

Carrell fills the seat once held by local artist and sign-maker Mike Orr. While Orr declined to run again for his seat on the board, another Mural Committee member whose two-year term was up, Anslee Holland, elected to stay.

Carrell was selected over a number of other locals who were vying for the seat, including Stetson University assistant professor of art Luca Molnar, teacher and photographer Katherine Kenner, and Luis Rodriguez, better known as his drag persona Aaliyah Nouveau.