“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” (A.D. Heijer). Today’s K-12 students live in a world we could hardly imagine when we were their age. If we keep teaching the same ways we always have, we will fail to adequately prepare our current students for successful lives and careers in the 21st century in which we now live and in which they will spend their entire lives. These past 6 years, our FPS team has worked together to redesign teaching and learning to better meet the current needs and future lives of today’s students while still ensuring they learn and master their foundational skills in Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies including Personal Finance, Civics, and appropriate use of Technology. I am running again for our FPS Board of Education to provide our community with the stability and consistency our students deserve as we continue preparing them for success in their 21st century personal and professional lives.
New district policies, initiatives, and curricula must be put in place to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our schools along with improving community communication. To keep students safe, we must also balance our academic expectations with the overall well-being of our students, implementing instructional models that support our students' physical, emotional, and psychological health as well as their academic progress. Expanding our CTE vocational education options is part of this process, providing our students with more than one pathway to success and enabling more students to graduate from high school career-ready. With a masters and doctorate in education, a masters in psychology, expertise in best practices in teaching and current brain research on learning, 40 years of classroom teaching experience, and 35 years of involvement in our community, I am eager to draw upon my skills and knowledge for the benefit of our community’s students, parents, and teachers.
I am a Farmington Hills resident, education leader, published author, and community advocate with more than 20 years of experience serving children and families. I hold bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a K–12 administrative certification, and a family engagement certificate from HarvardX, Harvard University’s online learning platform. I am a proud parent of three Farmington High School graduates.
I am running for the Farmington Public Schools Board of Education because every student regardless of race, religion, culture, ability, or economic background, deserves academic excellence, a safe and welcoming school, and a fair opportunity to succeed. Every family deserves to be heard, respected, and included in decisions affecting their children. I will work to close achievement gaps, strengthen student mental health support, and build trust between schools and families. I will bring educational leadership, accountability, compassion, and a commitment to decisions that serve every student.
1. Academic Achievement and Equity: I will use student data to identify achievement gaps, support early intervention and strong instruction, and advocate for resources to reach the students and schools with the greatest needs.
2. Student Mental Health and Safe Schools: I will advocate for greater access to counselors and mental-health services, staff training, early identification of students needing support, and positive school environments where every student feels safe and valued.
3. Family Communication and Engagement: I will promote consistent, transparent communication, meaningful opportunities for parent input, and stronger outreach to families whose voices are often overlooked. I will hold the district accountable by reviewing family feedback, participation, response times, academic progress, attendance, and school-climate data.
I was appointed to the Farmington Public Schools Board in July 2025. I am a communicator and journalist with decades of experience in storytelling and engaging communities.
I have worked in leadership roles in internal and external communications and executive support at General Motors, Owens Corning, and the University of Arizona. As a journalist, I worked at Yahoo News and the Detroit Free Press. I'm currently a Communications Coordinator for the City of Farmington Hills.
I am an active member of the community, serving as a treasurer and coach with the Farmington Soccer Club. My wife and I have lived in Farmington Hills for more than 20 years, our two children attend Farmington Public Schools.
I have a Master’s Degree from Boston University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Wabash College. I want to continue the work our Board has done on our district vision and improving the learning and growth culture in our schools. I want to improve communication in all aspects through the district.
First, improve student achievement and growth with a focus on both overall achievement and closing gaps among student groups.
This is one of the key goals we review annually. It’s a topic we hear from the public, teachers, administrators and parents. We need to measure success through the Board of Education goals for student growth and proficiency in math and literacy aligned to district benchmarks.
We also need to improve communication in all aspects throughout the district. This means authentic, timely and clear channels between schools and parents, teachers and students and parents, between the Board and administration, etc.
And, we need to improve the retention and recruitment of high-quality educators, especially those that best connect with our community and students. I would encourage the district to continue to work on keeping unique talent in our district by continuing programs aimed at building teachers from the former students in our district. We need to be competitive.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
