Candidate for
Board Member; Fresno Unified School District; Trustee Area 5

I have lived in Fresno for the last 30 years. I have two children, one of whom graduated in 1998 from Cal, having graduated from Edison High School and is currently teaching third grade in Watts. My daughter is a senior at Roosevelt High School. I believe my children have received a quality education in FUSD, along with my help.

I have been a volunteer in the District for the last 20 years for PTA's, City Council PTA, GATE Paent Advisory Committee, School Site Council member at Powers-Ginsburg, Computech Middle School, Edison High School, and am currently on the SSC at Roosevelt High School. I have been a trainer for State & Federal Programs for five years, assisting with parent involvement, leadership, and Robert's Rules of Order basic training for School Site Councils.

I co-founded the Fresno High School Leadership Academy, Powers-Ginsburg Extended Daycare Program, and the Academic Achievement Committee at Roosevelt High School. I was the co-founder of the Coalition for Academic Excellence providing leadership for 250 parents and teachers to discourage the District from closing down the traditional pathways of Algebra, Geometry, & Calculus, to offer only Math I, Math II, and Math III. We discouraged the closing down of dual pathways in Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics for Science I, II, and III. We needed to retain dual pathways to accommodate learning differences.

I have been on the Steering Committee for two Bond Campaigns in FUSD. I am currently a member of the Fresno Public Education Fund Board.

My family and I attend St. James' Episcopal Cathedral, where I have served on the Chapter, as well as Senior Warden. I have served on the Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee as President, where I oversaw a budget of seven figures for the Diocese of San Joaquin. I was a board member for the St. James' Cathedral School.

I was born and raised, and educated in Kansas, "Bob Dole Country" literally. My past work experience has been in sales and marketing for a major OEM manufacturer, General Manager for Great American Lfe Ins. Co., teacher of Character Education at Lane & Columbia Elementarys, and Interim Director of Project EXCEL, emphasizing math & science for girls, for CSU Fresno Foundation. In addition, I worked for Good Company Players in Special Projects, for the Character Education assembly-based performances that tour schools throughout the valley.

Currently, I am the Director of Student Admissions for a local seminary based at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary and sponsored by the Diocese of San Joaquin. We have students from the San Joaquin Valley & East of the Sierras attend our classes for intensive weekends of study twice or three times each semester, depending on the course.

in addition, I have volunteered for Girl Scouts, Valley Public Television, American Heart Association, and Sequoia Council Boy Scouts of American, where I was the recipient of the District Award of Merit for my work as District Commissioner, Woodbadge and Junior Leader Trainer, Assistant Scoutmaster, and merit badge counselor.

I provide Robert's Rules of Order basics, Parent Involvement strategies, and basics of School Site Councils for new parents gratituiously for schools who request my services. I offer consultant services to parents by word of mouth about how to work positively within our public educational system to provide opportunities for their children. I have been an advocate for at-risk students, connecting parents with site administrators and Board members to provide an opportunity for students to "try again."

I was the San Joaquin Regional Parent Representative for the California Association for the Gifted. Our Valley representatives brought the annual conference of 5,000 parents, teachers, and administrators to Fresno in 1995. I was in charge of providing the weekend activities for 200 students. The older students attended Yosemite Institute, while the younger students took a day trip to Sequoia-Kings Canyon.