My involvement in the Hilliard City School District began 18 years ago when our oldest began in kindergarten at Hilliard Crossing.  I felt it was important to be a partner in my children’s education journey in order to understand what was happening in the school.  By volunteering time with our teachers and attending PTO meetings, I was not only able to help connect our kids’ school world to their home experiences, but also learn more about how our schools operated, the opportunities available, and areas where our schools could grow. 

Those initial steps to be active in my children’s education led to more active involvement in the school community.  I was able to connect with neighbors and build relationships with other parents, teachers, and district leadership as I became more immersed in district level discussions.  I have served on a variety of district committees and task forces, such as Student Housing Committee, Technology Task Force, and as a current member of the Facilities Master Planning Committee, in addition to roles such as treasurer and membership chair within PTO groups, including 6 years as the InterSchool PTO treasurer reaching out to all of our 23 PTO groups and 21 Booster groups.  I have sat down with leadership to help write policy and guidelines over the years in efforts to foster understanding and clear information. 

This activity also led to my involvement with other community members in the creation of the Far West Side Area Commission, a chartered advisory body to Columbus City Council, as other leaders sought out my knowledge base on the impacts of development and growth on schools.  I was able to lend my insight on district planning with respect to student growth yield analysis and direction. 

Throughout the years I have heard from many folks, “When are you running for school board?”  All of this has never been about running for a seat, but learning and working to be a better parent or a better officer for my PTOs or the Commission.  It is about helping others understand the how and why of district decisions and their impacts on our children, families, and community groups.  It is about advocating to help the district administration make better decisions with respect to those stakeholders, by helping inform, discuss, and guide. 

So why run now?  This fall, three seats will be up for election, and for two of those seats, the incumbents are stepping away.  They represent a collective 26 years on our school board. That is a huge loss of institutional memory within our leadership.  I believe my deep and broad involvement within the district over these many years will help fill that gap to some measure.  The district will be challenged over the next few years.  These challenges are shaped through many lenses – whether they be the repercussions from COVID; our overdue introspection of equity, diversity, and justice within our district; or the potential growth on the horizon.  We will need leadership that can move forward against inertia but is also balanced with the institutional knowledge to understand where we have been. This is a world I have been steeped in for many years as I have been committed to helping provide great educational opportunities for all our kids in addition to understanding the policy decisions and impacts that have framed and influenced them.  I don’t proclaim to know everything and am firmly committed to continually learning and engaging our community, but I believe that I have a sound foundation to hit the ground running for the challenging work ahead.  

• Master Facilities Planning Committee
• Next X: Finance Committee
• Facilities Task Force
• Technology Task Force
• Athletics Sustainability Committee
• Student Housing Committee
• Pedestrian Safety Group
• InterSchool PTO (ISPTO) Treasurer
• Darby HS PTO Treasurer
• Heritage MS PTO Treasurer
• Hilliard Crossing Elementary PTO Treasurer, Membership Chair, Fall Fundraising Co-Coordinator
• Hilliard Education Association (HEA) Friend of Education 2017-2018
• Far West Side Area Commissioner & Zoning Chair
• Far West Side Task Force Member (Bylaws & Mapping)
• Cross Creek Village Civic Association (Bylaws Committee, Planning & Zoning Chair)
• Friends of Cross Creek Park / Save Cross Creek Park (Research Coordinator)