Candidate for
Board Member; Fremont Unified School District

My wife Teresa and I are the proud parents of four children, all of whom enjoyed their entire K-12 education in Fremont. Teresa was raised in Fremont and her parents still live in the same home they bought in 1962. We have raised our family in Fremont for over 31 years.

Prior to serving on the Board, I was a very active parent. I was involved in the PTA and served as a PTA President for four years. It was an honor for me to serve on School Site Councils for 14 years at all three (elementary, junior high and high school) levels and to be elected to leadership positions at those sites.

I also served at the district level on the Equity Committee and the first Citizens Bond Oversight Committee.

Before serving on the Board, I was part of the leadership of a citizens group (along with Mary Domelle and Rose Vargas)that successfully fought to overturn that Board's decision to close Kennedy High School and intention to sell that property. It was at that time I realized that I could be more effective as a member of the Board.

In addition to serving on the FUSD Board of Education, I also serve as President of the Mission Valley ROP (Career Technical Education), and have been on the Governing Board for the past 12 years.

I am a staffing consultant ('headhunter') and for over twenty years and have partnered with some of the most successful and advanced companies in the world, such as Apple, Google, SAP, Sony, nVidia, Intuit to name a few. Most of these engagements are for one or two years and allow me to experience the latest technology innovations in real time while forcing me to continue to provide relevant and measurable deliverables. I am currently engaged with Lab126, an Amazon company.

We have raised our four children with a high regard for public education and community service and are proud of the choices they have made. Our oldest daughter graduated from UC Berkeley and has her Master's Degree in Education. She is a teacher and her husband is an active duty Air Force pilot. Our second daughter graduated from Santa Clara University and has her Master's in Public Administration. She works for the City of San Francisco and is married to an active duty Army Sergeant First Class. We have one son who just graduated from Arizona State with a BS in Accounting and is currently working as a cost accountant while pursuing his CPA. We have one son who is currently serving in the United States Marine Corps and ready to resume his education after completing his tour.

I was born in San Francisco, as were my father and grandfather and raised in San Mateo. I attended Serra High School (perhaps best known as the alma mater of sports stars like Tom Brady, Barry Bonds, Lynn Swann John Robinson and Jim Fregosi, entertainment stars like Pete Barsocchini (creator of Disney's High School Musical) and Mike Shrieve (drummer for Santana)and a host of business and community leaders.

I graduated from San Jose State with a BS in Administration of Justice.

My father and grandfather were bricklayers and I was part of the family business from a young age. We grew that business (mostly custom brickwork and fireplaces) and I made a complete career change and became a recruiter in 1991.

I believe this unique blend of long term blue collar and white collar experiences, combined with a very strong work ethic and results-driven decision-making have provided a strong base for me to serve on the FUSD Board.

I have always been Transparent, Accessible and Accountable and I expect the Board's business to be held in the same regard.

I meet on a very regular basis (2-3 times a week) with community members (parents, teachers, students and others) so that I can learn from their insights, make informed decisions and answer any questions they may have.

As an incumbent, I run on my record. I am proud of my advocacy for those that do not necessarily get a seat at the table and my insistence that the Board's business be transparent and accountable.

I base my decisions on how those decisions will impact our classrooms.

I am very proud to have again earned the endorsements of FUDTA (Fremont Unified District Teachers Association), BGG (Business for Good Government, the PAC of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce) and the Alameda Labor Council (AFL-CIO). As the only candidate to have earned all three endorsements, I believe this represents support for my continuing advocacy for our students, district and community.

It has been a privilege and honor for me to have served the past 12 years as a Trustee on the School Board in Fremont.

There is no substitute for experience, especially when it comes to maintaining the public's trust in our ability to provide a safe, high-performing, and robust education for all of our students.

I humbly ask for your vote on November 4, 2014 so I may continue as your public servant.