Candidate for
Board Member; Petaluma Joint Union High School District

I am a 35+ resident of Petaluma and a product of our excellent schools (McDowell, Kenilworth, Casa Grande). I'm an 80's kid and really caught my second wave of appreciating how magnificent Petaluma is when I became a parent. We're really blessed to live where we do.

I'm married to Councilmember Tiffany Renée and we have two adult daughers who also attended Petaluma's public schools. Being highly active in their K-12 education has made me acutely aware of the challenges that teachers and students face.

My education, professional, and volunteer resume is is buoyed by my ability to build consensus among diverse groups of people, see the whole ecology of a problem, and suggest out of the box solutions. I have the FRESH perspective, skills, track record, and commitment to work for every child in Petaluma, helping them realize their fullest potential. I have the professional and board experience to help ensure that we're providing the most options for our children's development while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

My highest priority will be to be visible, approachable, and actively asking for meaningful, two way dialogue between all stakeholders in our kids' development. Only together can we solve the significant challenges that face our schools.

I'll be a visible, available member of the Board of Trustees from day one and every day after that.

I hold a B.A. in Environmental Education from Sonoma State, with a focus on outdoor education and have completed part of my M.A. in Philosophy and Religion from Naropa University.

I'm Past President of the Petaluma High Music Boosters and was a leader in incorporating the organization and preventing our music program from being cut in half in 2008. I was part of the core group of people who launched the increasingly successful Petaluma Music Festival, benefitting music education in all Petaluma schools.

As a member of the Board of Trustees I will work for solutions to not only support core curriculum but will be a fierce advocate for protecting music, art, vocational education, and other important extracurricular programs

I'm passionate about service to this community, most notably supporting the efforts of Friends of the Petaluma River, Daily Acts, and Petaluma Bounty, and serving as Vice Chair of the City of Petaluma's Technology & Telecommunications Advisory Committee.

Professionally, I have a strong background in training and development and am currently a Marketing professional with O'Reilly Media. I'm active advocate for open government standards, reflected daily in my professional life and my work in the community. As a Board member, I will push for stronger standards of accountability, student safety, and transparency.

At every point in my professional career I've been tasked with managing complex budgets and maintaining fiscal responsibility - something that I will cary

I am ready to get to work on day one building new relationships and networks between the Petaluma City Schools District and the community at large - to maximize the number of options available to every child to succeed. The most important investment that we can make is in our kids.