I embody these school board trustee operating principles: communication, collaboration, policy review, fiscal duty, and positive leadership. Holding an Ed.D. in Interdisciplinary Leadership and serving on the Family Engagement Team, I offer a unique perspective.
I am deeply invested in the quality of education this district provides, and the students it serves and staff it employs. While no school system is flawless, FCSD #1 has brought measurable growth, kindness, and hope to our entire family.
Education serves the public good by benefiting both individuals and the community. Because schools support both entities, school boards can foster quality education and greater equity by designing policies and curricula that prioritize civic duty. However, providing an equitable, high-quality education goes far beyond academic teaching; it is routinely blocked by complex psychological, sociological, physical, emotional, and spiritual barriers. While schools remain vital, overcoming these deep-seated challenges ultimately demands a collaborative, community-driven effort.
Often the answer to this question is framed around optimization, enhancement, or additives. What about a reframe. What can we unlearn, relearn, remove, or deoptimize to increase preparation for life after high school? Let's look at chronic absenteeism. Maybe our kids are overworked and underchallenged. What is the friction holding kids back? I am aware of many young men experiencing disengagement and disillusionment with the purpose of school. Reliable and valid research could uncover these hidden barriers. Let's look beyond traditional solutions to fix these root causes.
I love this question. Shoutout to Kristy Nelson at LVHS; her Family Engagement Team presentation on AI use in schools was thorough and encouraging. Our district is forward-thinking and ready to embrace new tools, while ensuring safe use of AI. I encourage our community to seek accurate information about how AI interfaces with learning in our district. My broader concern is how ASI will reshape the power, purpose, and goals of education. We must engage in grassroots conversations to prepare not only our students but ourselves for this massive technological shift.
Respecting current trustees, I prioritize these issues: School funding and disbursement. Public support and increased partnering with families/community. Literacy. Support Services. Balancing sports and activities and use of facilities to ensure they sustainably aid equitable educational advancement. Advocating for accurate and uncomplicated communication loops. Proactively addressing the impacts of AI and ASI. Hiring and retention of qualified staff. Policy development with clear aims, methods of evaluation, and means of diverse stakeholder input.
With over 14 years of school administration experience as a Technology Director at another Fremont County school district, this gives me insight on how a school can operate well and how to support the needs of students. I was appointed to the Lander school board in February 2026 and hope to continue to support our teachers and staff.
Why do I want to serve on the school board? I want to provide opportunites for students and support our wonderful staff at Fremont #1. Teachers and staff work extremely hard, and my hope is to support our staff to our best ability as a Board.
I believe the school board should continue working to ensure that every student has access to the same quality of education and opportunities, regardless of their background, learning needs, or circumstances. Let's continue to focus on what matters, which is giving our students opportunities and pointing them to excellence in their education.
We can increase graduation rates by identifying struggling students early on and providing the support(s) they need to stay on track. We should also expand career and technical education, internships, and dual-enrollment so every student graduates with the skills and a clear pathway to college, a career, or military service.
As Technology Director for another school district, I find this question interesting. I guess I see Ai as a tool to help. However, many of us are concerned by what is means to open the gates to using it. Whether we like it or not, students (and us adults) are using Ai more often in our lives. Let's teach students how to use Ai appropriately, but still ensure students' minds are actively engaged in the classroom.
I'd say, let's stay focused on giving students opportunities and help our kiddos develop their skillsets and education rather than being focused on issues. Having been a Computer Science teacher for high school students, I think the challenge for teachers is trying to capture the attention of our students and make education meaningful in their student's world. That's the world we live in, many things capturing our attention. I'm grateful for our fabulous teaching staff that give 100% to their students each and every day.
Campaign Phone
307-438-9606
I’m a good listener and synthesizer, comfortable hearing different perspectives and finding practical common ground. I’ve also spent my career building organizations, developing new ideas, managing budgets, and solving difficult problems with limited resources. I have three children at Gannett Peak, and the quality of their education and that of every child in our community is of utmost importance to me. I’m running to help FCSD #1 build on its strengths, navigate the challenges ahead, and keep looking for new ways to provide an excellent education for all of our children.
I’d start by listening rather than assuming I know what needs to change. One area I would examine is whether we define student success broadly enough. Academic fundamentals matter enormously, but so do curiosity, creativity, resilience, practical skills, judgment, and problem-solving. Students have different strengths, interests, circumstances, and plans after graduation, and for me, equity means ensuring every student has a genuine opportunity to succeed, regardless of the path they follow.
FCSD #1 already has a graduation rate above the Wyoming average, so I’d start by understanding what is working and building upon it. We should keep students engaged by offering multiple meaningful pathways, including college-level coursework, career and technical education, military preparation, and experiential learning. Students should leave school able to communicate, exercise good judgment, continue learning and tackle unfamiliar problems. Education is a lifelong endeavor; our job is to give students a strong foundation for wherever life takes them.
AI makes it easier than ever to produce an answer. That makes teaching students to ask good questions, evaluate information, and think independently more important than ever. Students should learn to use AI thoughtfully and understand its limitations, biases, and privacy risks without letting it replace reasoning, writing, research, or creativity. AI can also help teachers differentiate instruction, develop teaching materials, and spend less time on administrative work, freeing them to focus more of their time and expertise on students.
At present, I see three priorities: 1) maintaining long-term financial sustainability as enrollment declines and Wyoming’s funding system changes; 2) attracting and retaining excellent teachers and staff; and 3) preparing students for a rapidly changing world. FCSD #1 is a strong district, and I want to build on those strengths while looking honestly at the challenges ahead. That means planning for the long term, being thoughtful and creative with limited resources, and continuing to ask how we can make a good school system even better.
Two attributes that prepare me for school board service are my experience in community leadership and my ability to listen, ask questions, and bring people together around shared goals.
I’ve worked closely with community leaders, volunteers, and businesses, all with varied perspectives. I have learned that effective leadership means listening carefully, asking thoughtful questions, understanding the information, and working collaboratively toward strong solutions.
My experience with budgets, strategic planning, and board governance will support effective board service.
Consistently evaluate whether students have the support and resources they need to succeed. Equity does not mean every student receives exactly the same thing; it means recognizing that students have different learning needs and challenges, and offering the appropriate support for them to succeed.
Continue to examine academic outcomes, support services, access to activities, special education resources, counseling, technology, and career and technical opportunities to ensure that students are represented.
Listen to understand the problem before changing anything.
Identify students who are struggling academically, socially, or personally as early as possible, and make sure they have the support they need to stay on track.
Continue to support early intervention, strong relationships between students and trusted adults, academic support, counseling, attendance, and meaningful engagement for students who may not thrive in a traditional classroom setting.
Create partnerships with local employers, organizations, colleges, and technical programs so students gain exposure to varied career paths.
The answer is not simply to prohibit AI, nor do I believe we should embrace it without appropriate guardrails. Schools should set clear expectations for when and how students can use AI, while protecting academic integrity and privacy. We cannot compromise integrity in developing essential skills such as writing, reading, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and independent thought.
Ensure AI supplements good teaching rather than replacing the relationships and human judgment at the heart of education.
Involve educators to develop responsible policies.
To keep students at the center of every decision; maintain strong academic expectations while ensuring students have the support they need to succeed; recruit and retain excellent educators and staff; ensure schools are a safe, respectful, and positive place to learn; prepare students for what comes next by strengthening pathways to college, careers, trades, technical programs, or other opportunities; be responsible stewards of finances; protect what's working and ask where we can do better; and provide good governance and clear communication.
Campaign Phone
(801)995-2227
I have the gift of empathy. Parents come before the School Board because they are worried about their children. They need someone they know will listen and help them. I've had children in this FCSD1 for the past 15 years. At one time, I had children in four of the schools. I've had children participate in choir, band, sports, drama, art, and student council. Some of them received extra help through Special Education services. I'm familiar with many of the programs. I'm grateful for the help my family has received and I feel that I can help others.
I feel that it's important to remember that all children have the right to a public education and should feel welcome.
I think inviting the 8th graders to College Signing Day or the Senior Breakfast/Awards Ceremony could help create excitement for graduation before they even start high school. I think creating a program where the military, trades, and other professions come in and talk with the students about the requirements for a career in their field would help students gain a better understanding of what employers expect of them. It might also help students stay in school. Perhaps it could be done once a semester during SRB on Fridays.
AI is a tool. Instead of avoiding it, I think that educators should help students learn how to use it appropriately. For example, AI should not be used to write your child's English essay, but it could be used to help find sources.
I think the School Board needs to address the disconnect many parents, students, and teachers feel between them and the School Board.
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I was the Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor at FCSD#1 for over 30 years. I am currently the Vice Chairmen of Fremont County School District # 1 board. I believe young people can accomplish great things and that as a community we should do everything that we can to ensure their success.
I believe that our schools currently provide an equitable and quality education. We have amazing people in our district working diligently with every student every day.
We, as a community, must serve as an example of education. We must continue to have high expectations for our students. At graduation our students should be college and career ready.
Artificial Intelligence is just another tool in the tool box.
The most important thing that we can do as a community is to have high expectations for our youth and ourselves. Lead by example and participate in solving problems.
Campaign Phone
307-349-8624
Well, first off I do not see this as an office. I see this as more of a service to our community and a responsiblity we owe to our youth. One attribute that is important for this position is for someone to be actively engaged in the community and being part of the constant conversation by communicating with faculty, staff, parents and children so that one understands the needs within the community. Another attribute is being a critical thinker, looking at all sides of an issue equally and making an educated decision to back it up. These two attributes I uphold firmly.
There are always things that we can change or do better. At the present moment I have not heard of any serious issues arising within the school district that need changing. I am not coming into this position with an agenda. I do believe that FCSD #1 has a tremendous faculty and staff that not only work hard, but work well together and it shows.
I maintain that the best learning environment for students is one that is safe, and is conducted by a faculty that is confident, and this is controlled by the leadership within the district. If we continue to have great leadership and confident teachers in the classroom, this will naturally drive the students to always want to do better. I am always open to the idea of getting students more hands on experience with jobs outside of the classroom. Whether its helping on a ranch, doing a ride-along with an officer, or shadowing a doctor in the ER, all of these are beneficial.
I believe that artificial intelligence has no place or role in our public school education. Our goal is to prepare our youth to be great self-thinking problem solvers. AI achieves none of that. If we do not have students that can think for themselves or explore their imagination, then we have students that do not produce art, do not write papers, do not make beautiful music, and do not learn the practical skills necessary to set them up for success. We should be cultivating free thinkers and artificial intelligence only inhibits our ability to do so.
At the present moment the elephant in the room is the pool, however, these challenges of keeping our doors open to the pool can be overcome with guidance, and assistance from our strong community. I do believe that we have enough resources within our community to make the pool better and even build a new facility in our future.
The issues of our modern era such as technology that are constantly changing are some things to keep a diligent eye on as well. Safety of our children should always come first and continuing the great leadership within our district is a must.
Giving back to the community in a meaningful way is the primary reason for my interest. As a business owner and a public-school educated Wyoming native with two children currently enrolled in FCSD #1, I can provide relevant input from multiple perspectives. I’ve been fortunate to sit on well-governed Boards and Commissions at both the state and local level. As a licensed attorney who has lived and worked in Lander since 2003, I am invested in this community and the quality of our public school system.
A school board must be continuously ready and flexible to ensure access to education for all students and have a strong culture that supports our administration and faculty. I do not have an agenda to change current policies. I am looking forward to learning about opportunities to make the education process more inspiring for students and continue to improve facilities and attract the excellent faculty and staff.
It’s essential in today’s economy that our schools offer a competitive academic curriculum, access to college-level courses, and strong vocational training programs. If students graduate with college level credit and bypass some prerequisites, they can save money and time once they get to college. Additionally, if our students graduate with skills and/or certifications in certain vocations, they are better equipped to enter the workforce and earn a more sustainable wage sooner or even, potentially, work their way through college should they so choose.
This is a rapidly changing landscape, and many aspects of AI require our attention and policymaking locally and nationally. Students need to be educated about how to incorporate these tools to maximize learning, but that should be balanced with awareness of the risks. AI may supplement and inform one’s understanding of a topic, but it cannot be a replacement for research and independent thought. On a more basic level, students need to be directly informed of the pitfalls of using AI and, potentially, the risks of plagiarism or other honor code violations.
Safety, accountability and progress at all levels of the education system, such that public tax dollars are efficiently put to work to ensure access to education for all.
