Ward Member of the State Board of Education - La Junta Estatal Educativo de DCnon-partisan position - ningún partido políticoDuties: Ward Member of the State Board of Education represents the citizens of this Ward and is responsible for advising the State Superintendent of Education on educational matters, including: state standards; state policies, including those governing special, academic, vocational, charter and other schools; state objectives; and state regulations proposed by the Mayor or the State Superintendent of Education. The State Board is also responsible for approving many state-level policies. (Source: sboe.dc.gov) Deberes: La Junta Estatal Educativo de DC (DC State Board of Education) es responsible de asesorar al Superintendente de Educacion del Estado (Office of the State Superintendent of Education OSSE) sobre asuntos educativos, incluidos: estándares estatales; polizas estatales, incluidas aquellas que rigen las escuelas especiales, académicas, vocacionales, autónomas y otras escuelas; objetivos estatales; y regulaciones estatales propuestas por el Alcalde o el Superintendente de Educación del Estado. leer mas: https://sboe.dc.gov/
Too many of our students are not experiencing success after they graduate high school. Data from the mayor's office suggest that too many of our students aren't earning a living wage, that they struggle to find success, and many feel pessimistic about their future. This tells me that something isn't working in our schools, and I want to be a part of addressing this. My top three priorities to strengthen all our public schools are ensuring all schools create a safe and healthy learning environment, provide students with future ready learning opportunities, and put in place strategies to address chronic absenteeism.
First and foremost, I am a former classroom teacher with five years experience teaching high school. I am personally familiar with the opportunities and challenges facing our students and teachers. I am also the parent of school aged children who attend our public schools and am married to a DC school teacher, giving me a personal stake in the success of our public schools. I have 10 plus years of experience working in state K-12 education policy and am experienced working with state policymakers, including here in DC.
My number one priority is to center student outcomes at every decision I make. As state board member, I intend to build opportunities for cross Ward community engagement so that parents, students, teachers, and advocates have a collective voice in advocating for safe and healthy learning environments as well as other issues. I will listen to our teachers to better understand what they need to be successful and elevate these needs to the appropriate policy makers. And I will engage with PTOs across the ward to ensure I am intimately knowledgeable about the issues impacting our schools.
Yes, I have a 4th grade daughter.
Yes, my only school aged child attends 4th grade in DC public schools. We believe in DC public schools because of the excellent education the district offers and the broad range of extracurriculuar programs.
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Education
B.A., Spelman College and Ph.D., University of Wisconsin–Madison, in English Language and Literature/Letters
Two issues motivate me most. First, ending chronic absenteeism. Too many DC students are missing too much school. We need to address the reasons why, including transportation, safety, health, and whether students feel connected to school. I've worked nationally on this issue and helped bring DC into an effort to cut chronic absenteeism in half.
Second, every Ward 5 student deserves a strong, safe public school close to home. Ward 5 students have some of DC's longest school commutes, while families are also raising concerns about ICE and National Guard activity near schools. Families shouldn't have to travel across the city to find what their children need, and every child should be able to learn without fear.
I bring lived and professional experience together. I'm a former PTO president and LSAT chair at John Burroughs Elementary, and I served on the board of a Ward 5 public charter school. In 2019, I helped launch the Ward 5 Education Equity Committee alongside then-SBOE member Zachary Parker. Professionally, I'm Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives & National Partnerships at EdTrust, where I lead a national initiative to cut chronic absenteeism. Across two decades in education policy and advocacy, I've learned how to bring people together across real differences to get results for students.
I will not wait until a decision is about to be made to ask students, families, and educators what they think. I will hold regular listening sessions, meet people in their schools and communities, and use both data and lived experience to guide my work. When perspectives differ, I will be transparent about what I heard, look for common ground, and explain how community input shaped my position. I also want students to have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their education. My job is to bring people to the table early, listen carefully, and make sure their voices matter.
Yes. Two sons aged 13 and 11.
No. Our sons previously attended DCPS, including John Burroughs Elementary, and a DC public charter school. Like many parents, we have made decisions about their education based on what each child needed at different stages, including during the disruption of the pandemic. Today, they attend a private school where they have found the combination of academics and athletics that works for them. Our experience navigating DC's schools has reinforced my commitment to excellent neighborhood public schools in Ward 5, with strong academics, arts, athletics, and other opportunities that keep students engaged.
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