I’m running for school board in District 106, LaGrange Highlands. The elections will be held on April 6, and if you live in district, I’d certainly be grateful for your vote and support!

About Me

• Resident of Indian Head Park
• Parent of two District 106 students (Grades 5 and 7)
• Master’s degree in New Media Studies and Public Relations, DePaul University
• Undergraduate degree in Merchandising, Iowa State University
• Nearly 20 years of professional communications experience in education, science, medicine, healthand engineering
• Government relations and public affairs expert
• Attended public schools in Sioux City, Iowa, Kindergarten through 12th grade

My Commitment

• I will listen to the constituents and the desires of our community. Of course, each board member has his or her own personal desires, but the role of a trustee on this board is to represent, consider and weigh heavily the opinions and desires of the stakeholder constituents.
• I will be flexible, engaged and curious—I will strive to learn, hear perspectives of our community andensure those perspectives are represented.
• I’ll have a firm and balanced approach—I won’t be swayed by emotion and will rely on data and solid information in the decision-making process.
• I will advocate for enhanced communication with the community as a whole—parents, teachers, admi-nistration, taxpayers, and the board.
• I will “know what I don’t know” and I will rely on experts, data, and metrics, and not anecdotes and opinion.

The biggest issues facing our district today

• A disengaged and fractured relationship between teachers, administration, community, and the board.I will explore ideas to rebuild these relationships which will directly benefit our students.
• COVID-19—this will continue to be a challenge for our community. I am committed to ensuring ourdistrict has a flexible approach based on science and facts and will provide flexibility in how our child- ren learn and engage in school—continuing to offer both in-person and remote options will be im- portant to moving forward and getting through COVID-19.
• We’re outgrowing our space—while COVID-19 takes center stage, I don’t want to forget that we need to ensure we have the space for learning and are poised for growth in our community. I want to ensure our instruction, resources, and physical space are prioritized.
• Student learning—there are so many challenges today with delivering quality education. How are we providing resources during the pandemic, how are we striving to improve learning and understanding? Encouraging our professional staff to reach for and implement ideas to improve opportunities will be a priority for me—I also want the board to serve as partner in ensuring these ideas are brought to life.