VOTE411 Voter Guide

I was called to serve by observing the unmet needs of students across the district. By working together we can meet these needs.

Education and Experience Matters!

We need a committed champion for behavioral health and support services on the Board of Trustees. In this moment of crisis, students need these supports more than ever! My education and professional experience help me understand exactly how to solve these problems. I can convince my colleagues on the Board of Trustees as well as CCSD administrators by providing expert advice around specific supports tailored to the needs of each school throughout the district.

30+ years professional experience in behavioral health and medicine designing, testing and delivering effective interventions and treatments is directly applicable to the current needs of our students. My Masters in Developmental Psychology from Johns Hopkins University provides a foundation for understanding the importance of recognizing the whole child and their specific needs across the developmental spectrum.

Parent Perspectives are Essential!

My children have attended CCSD schools since Kindergarten. My oldest graduated in 2024. My experience as parent has allowed to me to see first hand the strengths, successes and areas for improvement in CCSD schools K-12.

In a district with over 50,000 students in more than 80 schools, there are so many pressing needs! And those needs can change over time based on a myriad of factors. The most important factor is electing board members with education and experience who can work effectively together to solve all of the challenges facing the district.

I am emphasizing the current behavioral health needs because because we are in a moment of crisis. Rates of anxiety, depression, addiction and tragically suicide are growing each year.

There are available resources to solve these problems, but the current Board is not operating with the sense of urgency to meet this moment. I will ensure that we begin implementing necessary supports and wrap around services on day one.

This is one of most important changes in many years. It allows funding to be distributed in more equitable fashion. I fully support this model and will ensure that behavioral health and social support needs variables are included in the formula.

Schools need to be safe places centered on learning, growing and being creative. I have discussed this with District leadership and have been assured that ICE cannot enter CCSD schools without a Federal warrant signed by a judge. This is a good current policy and I support it. Schools are secure buildings and Principals and administrators should be empowered to protect their students.

This happens every day in my professional position. I am working with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, social workers, patients and their families to develop and deliver life saving treatments for ovarian and endometrial cancers. Prior to my cancer research, I helped develop anxiety treatments for children and adolescents, Veterans with PTSD and adults with alcohol and substance dependence.

These experiences have shown me the importance of collaboration and cooperation among groups with complex and diverse backgrounds to solve a single, but extremely important challenges to deliver life saving treatments and supports.

I'm running for the Charleston County School Board in District 7 because I believe every child deserves an excellent public education, every teacher deserves strong support, and every family deserves a real voice in our schools.

As a mother of four children who have attended Charleston County schools, a longtime public education advocate, and a community leader, I have spent nearly a decade serving students and families across Charleston County. Since 2018, I have served in leadership roles with school PTAs and School Improvement Councils, the South Carolina PTA, the League of Women Voters of Charleston, the Charleston NAACP, and district committees focused on improving our schools. ​ I am honored to have earned the trust of West Ashley voters who elected me twice to the CCSD District 10 Constituent School Board. I served for five years and was the Vice Chair for three years. During my service, I worked on student disciplinary hearings, school rezoning decisions, and student transfer requests. These issues directly impacted students, families, and schools across West Ashley. That experience gave me a deeper understanding of district governance and the importance of balancing fairness, accountability, and the needs of our community.

I believe strong schools require strong board governance: clear priorities, responsible stewardship, true transparency, and proactive, solutions-driven leadership. I will not wait for problems to grow. I will work to anticipate challenges early, address gaps quickly, and focus the district on what drives student success. I will bring people together, restore trust between families and schools, and focus on practical solutions that improve outcomes for every student.

I’m running to be a strong, proactive voice for CCSD families, a committed advocate for educators, and a steady leader focused on delivering the excellent public schools our children deserve.

I see two major challenges for CCSD: closing the achievement gap and making sure our budget is sustainable for the long term. We have made meaningful progress in student achievement, but we still have persistent disparities in outcomes across our district. We need to be honest about where those gaps exist, stay focused on what the data tells us, and make sure we are providing the right support to the students and schools that need it most. That means investing in strong instruction, literacy, experienced teachers, enrichment opportunities, and targeted interventions, while also measuring whether those investments are actually improving student outcomes.

At the same time, we have to be thoughtful about how we sustain those investments. CCSD is a large and diverse district, and we have to plan beyond the next budget cycle. I want to see long term financial planning that anticipates future needs, looks carefully at recurring and one time expenditures, and makes sure we aren't creating commitments that aren't sustainable.

As a board member, I would focus on aligning our budget with our priorities and the outcomes we want for students. Every dollar should have a purpose, and we should be able to explain how our investments support student learning and where we are seeing results. Responsible stewardship isn't about simply spending less. It is about making sure we are spending wisely, transparently, and in a way that we can sustain.

Our goal should be to ensure that every student, regardless of their background or ZIP code, has the opportunity to succeed while building a financially sustainable district that can continue supporting students and educators for years to come.

The weighted student funding model appears to be a positive step so far. I look forward to continuing to see the data come back and understand its impact on student outcomes.

One of the things I appreciate about the model is that it gives schools more autonomy to make decisions about how resources can best be used to meet the needs of their individual students. CCSD is a large district that serves a very diverse population, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't always make sense for every school.

I think it is important that we continue to monitor the data, listen to principals and educators, and evaluate whether the additional flexibility and resources are translating into better outcomes for students. Ultimately, the measure of success should be whether students are benefiting.

Every student should be able to come to school feeling safe, supported, and ready to learn.

I think the CCSD's Department of Student Support works hard to support our families, and I would continue to ensure those resources are accessible and responsive to the needs of our students. Representation and perspective are important, and we need to make sure the voices and experiences of our families are part of the conversation.

Our multilingual learner teachers also play an incredibly important role in helping students and their families navigate our schools to succeed academically. Programs and supports such as OTIS are essential pieces to make sure families know where to access help and feel connected to their schools.

Ultimately, this comes back to creating a positive school climate where every student feels a sense of belonging. We need strong communication between schools and families, access to the academic and mental health services students need, and educators who have the resources and support to serve their students well.

During my five years serving on the CCSD District 10 Constituent School Board, I worked with people who had different perspectives on a variety of issues, including student disciplinary matters, rezoning, and student transfer requests. I learned that you don't have to agree with someone to work respectfully and professionally with them. I try to listen first, understand where someone is coming from, and focus on the issue rather than the person. When you're making decisions that affect students and families, you have to be willing to hear different perspectives and find common ground where you can.

Collaboration means being professional and respectful, keeping the focus on students, and being willing to have difficult conversations without making them personal. I believe that's especially important on a school board. We may not always agree, but we should be able to work together to find thoughtful solutions and move the district forward.

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