Candidate for
Board Member; Woodside Elementary School District

Commitment to our school

I am the father of three boys, all of whom are at Woodside Elementary School (grades 5, 3, and 1). Our family has attended the school from preschool on up. We are in the process of adopting a fourth child. We will be part of Woodside Elementary for a full decade more.

Involvement

Throughout my children's attendance at the school, I have been an active volunteer: in our classrooms, on field trips, and at school events (GardenFest, May Day...).

I have served for two years on the school's site council, which I co-chaired for one year. There, my work focused on expanding our use of differentiated instruction and on strengthening (and communicating the strengths of) our middle school.

I also serve on the school's Technology Task Force. I am particularly interested in how we can use technology to free teachers from rote tasks, so that they can engage in their most valuable role: engaging with students.

Passion for education

My wife and I are both graduates of public elementary, middle and high schools. That education opened doors for us that, given our backgrounds, we never could have imagined.

Our work since reflects our gratitude for the education we received and our commitment that others similarly benefit. Emily's work as a social worker and as an academic has all focused on children. I helped launch an independent foundation, similar to the Woodside School Foundation, to support my public high school. I have also served as director of (and mentor for) Minds Matter, an organization that serves high potential students drawn from populations like that of our Ravenswood students.

Experience

I bring to the WES board more than two decades experience in finance. This experience is complementary to the backgrounds of other board members, and is fundamental to successful execution of the board's work.

I also bring to the WES board more than fifteen years of experience on for-profit and non-profit boards. I understand the collaboration and preparation it takes to be an effective board member. I have regularly served in roles such as audit committee chair; even when not, I have invariably worked closely with the organization's finance function to develop key metrics, improve reporting, and strengthen the budgeting process. I look forward to contributing similarly on the WES board.