I have a Masters degree in science education and taught at the junior high level. I have been involved in the Parent-Teacher Organizations (PTO) at both the elementary and middle school levels. I have children at every school level in the Greenwood Community School Corporation. My children have a variety of educational needs from high ability learners to needing support with IEPs and 504s. My children have been involved in various extra-curricular activities that have given me a chance to get to know parents in our community. I have also had the opportunity to substitute teach at several schools and gotten to know both students and teachers in the Greenwood school district.
I would welcome the chance to talk to students, teachers and parents about curriculum decisions. Having transparency with parents and teachers will help open this communication. Ultimately I want to see Greenwood have a curriculum that can support our students as they continue in their educational careers and become participating members of the community and the work force.
There is a new trend to move away from technology in the classroom moving back to paper and pencil exercises. I think a balance is needed between using technology to support the classroom and taking a more traditional approach. Using testing data will help us to understand where we are lacking. I think our school district has done an excellent job in addressing the need for support for students who failed the iRead test.
The Greenwood Community School corporation recently approved a new bond to improve all the roofs of each school and install solar panels. I think this will allow the corporation to save on utility costs and therefore have more funds in the future for other school district needs. I would like to see the school budget be a benefit to all the students within the corporation, not just one special interest group.
The on-going construction projects will be a challenge for the students, teachers and staff. But these improvements will definitely enhance our facilities. It will be a challenge to make sure our teachers are getting paid competitively and feel supported from the school board and the corporation. I hope there are more opportunities for students to have educational experiences that encourage them to be lifelong learners.
As a CPA who has spent over 40 years working for Fortune 100 companies in the areas of leadership, finance and human resources, these working experiences give me a solid foundation for leading our schools to success. Additionally, I have spent the last 14 years serving as the President of the Greenwood Public Library Board of Trustees. I joined the board as president in 2012 when the library was in financial crisis. Working hand in hand with the Executive Director of the library, we brought the library to solid financial footing. Finally, I was appointed to the school board in May 2025 to fill the seat vacated by Mike Metzger. This experience has been invaluable, and I look forward to continuing to serve, if voted back into office.
Curriculum decisions work best when they start with data and end with dialogue. As a board member, I rely first on evidence — how students are performing, what's working in comparable districts, and what our teachers are telling us from the classroom. But data alone doesn't tell the whole story, so I also make it a priority to hear directly from families and community members, whether through board meetings or direct communication with board members, before decisions are finalized. When those voices point in different directions, I look to our educators' professional judgment and our student outcome data to weigh the tradeoffs, while making sure families understand the reasoning behind the decision.
My top priority is literacy, because strong reading skills in the early grades are the foundation for success in every other subject and for students' long-term outcomes. Alongside that, I believe in supporting the conditions that make learning possible: strong teacher retention, safe and well-resourced classrooms, and mental health support for students who need it. As a board member, I track our progress through the district's performance metrics, which have continued to improve, and I push us to keep raising the bar rather than settling for "good enough." Student success isn't one metric — it's the combination of academic growth, wellbeing, and preparation for whatever comes after graduation.
Greenwood has managed its tax-funded budget responsibly, keeping our tax rate lower than most surrounding districts without a referendum, and none is currently planned. Still, funding pressures are likely to grow due to SEA 1 and property tax caps, which will limit the revenue schools have to educate students.
Going forward, I'd focus on careful review of expenses each budget cycle, multi-year financial forecasting to anticipate challenges before they hit, and prioritizing spending that directly supports classroom instruction. The goal is to make the most of the tax dollars we receive while protecting what matters most for students.
The biggest challenges ahead are funding and enrollment. SEA 1 and property tax caps are going to put increasing pressure on the dollars our district receives, and keeping enrollment strong is essential, since enrollment directly drives the funding, we receive to educate students. My CPA background and experience overseeing the library's turnaround from financial crisis give me a strong foundation for navigating these challenges responsibly. On the opportunity side, I'm excited about our Central Nine partnership and our online school program, both of which give families more ways to choose Greenwood and help us compete for and retain students.
With four children in Greenwood schools and 11 years on the Southwest Elementary PTO, I know firsthand the power of parent-staff collaboration. Professionally, I bring diverse leadership experience from the non-profit, higher education, and technology sectors. Over the past four years, I have successfully blended my community roots and professional skillsets on the Greenwood school board to deliver fiscal responsibility, cultural growth, and stronger academic achievements.
Given the State of Indiana regulates much of the instruction offered by local schools, the Greenwood Community School Corporation is also restricted in the curriculums available from which to teach. When a new curriculum is being selected prior to a school year, the administration does offer the community a chance to review before the board motions to adopt them, and I have consistently taken the opportunity to do so. Teachers, though, have the greater responsibility on what the students learn and as a parent, I've used my voice to challenge specific lessons when I believed it was appropriate to do so. In these ways, parents and board members play an important role is shaping the educational direction of schools.
A school district’s highest priority must be investing in an educated and enthusiastic staff. In my experience on the school board, the most successful students are those influenced by staff who deeply care about the whole child. When teachers and staff invest in students in this way, we see growth that goes far beyond report cards and trophies but also builds self-confidence, maturity, and life skills. As a board member, my duty is to ensure Greenwood’s staff has the resources they need to ready students for a successful adulthood.
My approach to budgeting is simple: fiscal conservatism ensures stability in the midst of unpredictable state funding. To protect taxpayers, a school corporation must maintain a healthy rainy-day fund and a conservative budget rather than relying on local tax increases to cover financial risks. With the state increasingly shifting financial support toward private educational institutions, local public schools are feeling an undeniable pinch. Greenwood schools must remain disciplined and avoid overextending our debts so that the corporation stays financially secure.
Over the last two years, I have encouraged the GCSC administration to increase focus on academic measurement and goal setting. Thanks to those efforts, we saw measurable improvements in this past year’s standardized test scores, proving our district is making quick progress! While there is more room to grow additional student outcomes, Greenwood schools are set up for continued success. Looking ahead, student enrollment is projected to decrease over the coming years, which will reduce state funding to the schools. To stay ahead of this shift, the corporation must maintain accurate financial forecasting, lower operational costs, and thoughtfully manage the budgets.
