Please list your occupation.
I retired from corporate America at the age of 37 to focus on my family, my children’s education and community. Since that time, I have remained actively engaged as a volunteer in CMS schools, while maintaining my professional skills by providing strategic planning and consultative services to select clients. Additionally, I have been an American Red Cross CPR Instructor, a Bible Teacher, President of my community HOA, and a volunteer with the Keep Charlotte Beautiful Adopt a Street program.
With full-time availability, I am eager to serve on the School Board, echoing voices of parents, educators and students in District 6. I am confident that my experience and community commitment will benefit the school board and district.
Please list your connections to or involvement with CMS (children in the district, PTO experience, etc.)
Since 2006, I have actively served Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as a parent member of School Improvement Teams at Park Road Montessori (3 years), Randolph Middle School (2 years), and Northwest School of the Arts (3 years). I have also volunteered as a test proctor for CMS schools and served on Senior Exit Review panels. My PTO board experience includes President at Park Road Montessori, Vice President at Randolph Middle School, Booster Club President and Webmaster at Northwest School of the Arts, and Organizer of the first Inter-Club Council at Northwest School of the Arts. I have also provided literacy tutoring (as a volunteer) for students in grades K-3 and hosted book drives within schools to support summer literacy programs that strengthen student outcomes in K-3 literacy.
Please list your political experience and any education or political advocacy groups you’re affiliated with.
While this is my first political campaign as a candidate, I have significant prior experience working on political campaigns. This includes involvement in both primary and general elections, with responsibilities ranging from campaign management support to canvassing, poll greeting, voter registration drives, and encouraging voter turnout. This experience has given me a direct understanding of the current political landscape in our city.
My education includes:
* **Associate Degree in Public Service: Legal Assisting: This provided a foundational understanding of political advocacy and the laws impacting our country.
* **Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice: This allowed me to develop foresight into the broad-range dangers resulting from systemic failures in educational systems.
* **Graduate Degree in Human Service Counseling: Executive Leadership: This equipped me with advanced skills in strategy, effective communication practices in organizational structures, and the power of high-impact teams that engage in self-awareness combined with active listening for improved outcomes.
Please list any other relevant professional experience.
Early in my career, I advocated for children through Custody Mediation and the Child Support Enforcement office. These roles involved facilitating difficult conversations with disengaged parents to help them understand their crucial role in their children's lives. I honed my communication skills by assisting parents in developing healthier communication patterns and guiding them to prioritize their children's well-being. This experience informs my belief that policies can encourage parental presence and highlight the dangers of absence.
Another fulfilling aspect of my career involved managing commercial litigation for children affected by lead-based paint exposure. This included evaluating insurance coverages and managing multi-million-dollar litigation to ensure proper compensation. I assessed children's cognitive abilities and academic performance to identify lead-induced deficiencies and track progress. Recognizing the irreversible damage of early cognitive neglect, I became a staunch advocate for protecting children's cognitive development. For Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, this translates into seeking a school board position to ensure high standards in core subjects. My goal is to foster proficient children who can achieve their full potential.
Finally, I recently collaborated with Legal Aid North Carolina and the City of Charlotte Community Relations to combat discrimination against families with children in community swimming pools. This work involved securing non-discrimination agreements, developing policies, and implementing mandatory Fair Housing Training with large pool management and community association companies. Children are a vulnerable population with inherent rights, including the right to a strong educational foundation that fosters independence and allows them to become contributing citizens.
Why do you want to serve on the school board?
My motivation stems from a deep commitment to effective governance and a desire to ensure the best possible outcomes for our students and educators.
I have a breadth of experience serving on various boards, including homeowner association boards, parent-teacher organization boards, booster club boards, school improvement teams, and faith-based boards. In each of these roles, I have consistently championed and valued the diversity of opinion and expression from every member, understanding that this is crucial for achieving solution-based outcomes.
During this current election cycle, I have observed strategic maneuvering by CMS corporate partner organizations, former CMS executive leaders, consultants, select current board members, and candidates, which appears to employ a groupthink strategy. I am concerned about the dangers of groupthink, which can lead to board misconduct, poor decision-making practices, and unethical outcomes. This approach can foster an environment where accountability is diluted, evidenced by phrases like "that's not my job," and can become a breeding ground for cronyism, which ultimately does not serve the best interests of improved student outcomes.
While I appreciate and applaud board members who acknowledge an "attack on public education," showing awareness that our students need protection, it is also critical for some on the current board to self-assess and recognize their own roles in exacerbating these issues.
I see my role in this election as a crucial safety net for our superintendent, students, and educators. A dysfunctional board that "runs off the rails" leaves our superintendent exposed.
My primary goal as a school board member is to ensure that the diverse needs of students and educators from all communities are genuinely considered. This provides the well-reasoned support our superintendent needs to effectively manage operations. My individual impact will come from actively listening to educators, parents, students, and community members, ensuring that I respond appropriately and advocate for their expressed needs. The inclusion of varying perspectives on any board is value-added and ensures comprehensive consideration. The goal should never be to enter into an echo chamber of dysfunction; instead, it should be to act as a diffuser, allowing all voices to fulfill their intended purpose and contribute to a robust, effective board.
Name one thing you feel CMS currently does well and one thing you would push the district to improve.
One area where I believe CMS currently excels is creating inviting formats in the delivery of information. This program demonstrates a commitment to grab the attention of stakeholders and has shown promising results in the desire to actively engage with parents and students.
Conversely, one area where I would strongly advocate for improvement is the overall academic performance of our students, particularly the concerning statistic that approximately 44% of students are performing below grade level. I recently participated in a forum where I was asked to grade our current CMS board. While other panelists, including current board members and candidates, gave the board grades of A's and B's, I assigned a grade of "D." My concern is that these high grades may reflect an assessment of effort rather than a true understanding of the significant impact that nearly half of our students performing below grade level has on our community.
I was particularly surprised that current board members seemed to overlook the direct connection between CMS policies and the academic outcomes our students are experiencing. Assigning an A or B grade to the current board, in my opinion, shifts responsibility away from where it truly lies. The ultimate accountability for the district's performance begins and ends with the Board. While our superintendent is clearly doing an amazing job, the true responsibility for setting the vision and ensuring academic success starts with the Board. I believe there is a critical need for the Board to take more direct ownership of these academic results and implement policies that will lead to substantial improvements for all students.
In your opinion, what is the CMS school board’s most important function?
In my view, its primary role is to cast a clear and compelling vision for the entire CMS school district.
Beyond establishing this vision, it is equally important that the board ensures well-thought-out policies are not only developed but also effectively implemented and practiced. The sole purpose of these policies and this overarching vision should always be to effectuate improved student outcomes across the district.
What do you think should be CMS’ biggest funding priority? Where should that funding come from?
I believe that our educators should be at the forefront of our budget considerations. The fundamental reason for this is that without dedicated and well-supported educators, there is no effective path for educating our students.
I believe this increased funding for educators can be achieved through a more appropriate prioritization and allocation of our current budget. When we observe situations where a consultant's compensation significantly exceeds that of our educators, and in some cases, even an entire CMS department, it strongly suggests a lack of proper budget prioritization. I want to reiterate that this responsibility for budget prioritization and allocation ultimately falls on the current board, not the superintendent.
There has recently been uncertainty around school funding from both the state and federal levels. What actions, if any, should the school board take to navigate this uncertainty?
It's crucial that we prioritize our current budget and adopt a proactive stance.
I believe we need to move past a mindset of "it's not our job to…" and avoid pointing fingers. This kind of thinking can hinder progress, and I've observed it starting to affect our board. To effectively advocate for our educators and students at the state and federal levels, we must first honestly assess our own role in addressing local funding uncertainties. We need to acknowledge any pitfalls within our own processes. This is a board issue, and it requires our collective focus and commitment.
I'm keen to discuss how we can collectively work to address these challenges and ensure we are as effective as possible in securing the resources needed for our mission.
How can the board support the closing of performance gaps between high- and low-performing students?
During a recent panel discussion, a current board member expressed agitation with my perspective, primarily focusing on reframing the data through a lens of blame rather than engaging in honest self-reflection as a sitting board member.
My view is that the board has a crucial role to play in supporting the closure of performance gaps, and this requires diligently performing its duties. It seems inconsistent for any current board member to grade the board with an A, A+, or B while simultaneously stating that the district is in a state of emergency. This suggests a potential lack of understanding regarding the necessary steps to develop and enforce policies that effectively address these performance gaps.
Considering the approximately 59% of CMS students who performed at or above grade level proficiencies, I would personally assign the current board a grade of D. I believe we have significant work ahead of us, and a critical first step involves electing new board members who are not beholden to the current trend of groupthink that appears to be influencing our school board.
The share of students enrolled in public schools is shrinking while private schools and charters have grown in recent years. How should CMS react?
In response to the shrinking enrollment in public schools, there is an urgent need for CMS to rebuild public trust. This effort, in my view, must originate and be consistently reinforced by the board itself.
Gaining public trust hinges on demonstrating effective outcomes that truly honor and respect our students and educators. This means prioritizing their needs above any personal interests, individual gains, or external agendas that might detract from improved student outcomes. To put it simply, there are certain mindsets and practices currently in place within the CMS school district that CMS no longer needs.
I believe focusing on these areas will be crucial for moving forward constructively.