Candidate Bio
Born and raised in Connecticut, I moved to Easton more than twenty years ago with my husband. After working in advertising, marketing, and brand innovation in New York City, I hung up my train pass after the birth of my daughter and began consulting, working with brands like GE to a variety of educational institutions.
My career in marketing and client management has honed my skills in communication, problem solving, collaboration, and innovation. Since 2012, I have used these skills to support Easton’s teachers, administrators, and students. Whether a “Shelf Elf” in the Samuel Staples Media Center, co-chair of the annual PTA/PTO Spring Fling, or Committee Chair of Easton Cub Scout Pack 166, I whole-heartedly and enthusiastically support the families and children of Easton. I am also a proud Board member of the Easton Learning Foundation and the Redding Area Chapter of the National Charity League.
I want to serve on the Region 9 Board of Education because I believe in the power and importance of a great education for every student. I want each student to have a positive experience at school. I want teachers to feel supported and valued. I want to continue building upon and energizing our great schools. It was my own public school education that led me to attend Duke University, where I graduated with degrees in Economics and English.
I am the proud mom of a seventh grader at Helen Keller Middle School and a freshman at Joel Barlow High School, and I see the daily challenges and joys of being a student in our schools. With my unique experience and firsthand knowledge, I will ensure that our schools remain strong and focused on delivering excellence in education.
Candidate Statement
I’m running for the Region 9 Board of Education because I believe our schools are our most important resource and I want to help ensure our children continue to benefit from the best education possible. My husband and I chose Easton more than twenty years ago, largely because of its excellent public schools. I have a son at Helen Keller Middle School and a daughter at Joel Barlow High School, and since starting kindergarten at SSES, our experience has been overwhelmingly positive.
Over the past eighteen months, I’ve seen our schools simultaneously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and politically charged issues, both of which have distracted from the ability to focus on our students’ education. With a new superintendent and a new principal at Joel Barlow High School, we have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to re-focus on delivering a strong curriculum, maintaining a positive school environment, and preparing our students for life after high school graduation. I am committed to that mission.
With more than thirty years of experience working with companies, large and small, to solve their problems and innovate, I am a good listener, a clear communicator, and a logical thinker. I enthusiastically use my skills and energy to support our schools and students, logging hundreds of hours volunteering in our classrooms, organizing Easton PTO events, working with Easton Cub Scout Pack 166, and serving on the boards of the Easton Learning Foundation and the Redding Area Chapter of the National Charity League.
As a member of the Region 9 Board of Education, I will put our children, families, and educators first, ahead of personal or political agendas. Political activism should not drive our schools, which are supported by the taxes of all families. The decisions we make for Joel Barlow High School affect all our students, their families, our teachers and administrators. Our schools must teach our children how to think, not what to think. The Region 9 Board of Ed should model civil discourse, good listening, and rational consideration of the issues to make choices that are in the best interest of our students. I will work hard to support and deliver these goals.
Our world is an amazing, exciting, challenging place. I see my role on the Region 9 Board of Education as working to ensure that Joel Barlow High School effectively prepares each student for their place in the world, whatever that may be.
I look forward to serving our community, and I ask for your vote on November 2, 2021.
