Campaign Phone
616-990-1231
Age
41
My experience comes from being deeply connected to the West Ottawa community. I am a parent of children in the district, a healthcare worker serving the community, and I have volunteered in several roles with the athletic boosters, including serving as booster President. These experiences have given me firsthand insight into the needs of students, families, staff, and the broader community. I understand that school board leadership requires listening to constituents, asking difficult questions, balancing competing priorities, and making decisions that put students first. I would bring that experience to policy discussions with a focus on accountability, equity, fiscal responsibility, and service.
One challenge I see is ensuring that the diversity of West Ottawa is reflected in district leadership and decision-making. Our community is diverse, but that diversity is not always represented in the spaces where decisions are made. As a person of color and a parent in the district, I can bring a perspective that may otherwise be missing. I believe effective policy should consider the experiences of all students and families. I would work to increase community engagement, listen to underrepresented voices, and support policies that provide every student with the opportunity to succeed.
I believe public service starts with listening. I would make it a priority to be accessible to students, parents, staff, and community members and to hear directly about their concerns and priorities. I want to be a board member who is present in the community, communicates openly about decisions, and remains accountable to the people I serve. My goal is not simply to have a seat at the table, but to use that seat to advocate for students and families and be of service to the entire West Ottawa community.
Campaign Phone
616-405-7645
Age
46
Candidate Information
I am a community leader who is passionate about changing education to meet the needs of today's students, families, teachers and employers. As a parent of three WO students, I have been involved in many ways during my children's school journeys. I feel it is important for parents to be a partner in their child's education. Our teachers need our support with the dynamics in their classrooms. And our students need us to provide relevant and challenging learning experiences.
As a parent in the district for 12 years, I have stepped in wherever I see an opportunity to help the students of West Ottawa thrive. I have experience working within a West Ottawa PTA, athletic board and non-profit board within the district. Often focusing on those students in greatest need.
I am a previous CEO of a local small company with experience in all facets of running an organization. Wearing many hats including HR, marketing, finance, and project management gave me a well-rounded background.
In my current career position, I am working with school districts every day, which provides me additional visibility into the constraints, regulations, and flexibility available within school policies.
We are faced with challenges in student engagement/absenteeism, parent engagement, and work readiness.
We need to explore ways to deliver content to drive engagement. Making learning relevant helps students apply content and drives genuine understanding rather than memorization. If kids enjoy HOW they are learning they are more likely to attend school on a daily basis.
Parent engagement has many facets that need to be explored. Communication and involvement are key factors while finding meaningful ways for parents to contribute to their student's journey.
Getting students ready for their next step is imperative. Whether moving into trades, university, or into the workforce, our students are counting on us to prepare them.
I am excited to continue engaging and interacting in as many ways as possible. Today, I show up through volunteering, board positions, and attending various school events to show support of arts, music, academics and athletics.
Showing up to listen to parent, teacher, and student voices will always be important to me in this role. It is important to ensure that all voices are represented at the table.
Spending time talking with local organizations that support our students (such as LAUP, Boys and Girls Club, and I AM Academy) to hear about the challenges faced by the families and students of our community will continue to be a focal point for this work.
I will work hard to represent the community in this role.
Campaign Phone
616-218-1861
Age
58
Candidate Information
1986 Graduate of HC, 1990 Graduate of Hope College, Married to Amy (Von Ins), Two daughters (Lauren & Elizabeth), Current WO School Board Vice President
I have been on the West Ottawa school board for almost 12 years. I am also a Region Vice President for USA Softball and a member of the Holland CVB Board. I have worked for Holland Charter Township for over 35 years as the Parks & Recreation Director. For the school board, we are consistently dealing with policies whether they are updates of current ones or new policies that are needed based on what directives may be from the federal/state level or school policies that our admin feel are important. For USA Softball, I am involved with policies involving equipment testing and safety standards, rules, bylaws, and involvement with the Center for Safe Sport which is an entity that oversees all national governing bodies for multiple sports.
Technology is always going to be a challenge. It feels like things change on a regular basis and our WO team needs to stay on top of that. Providing resources to staff is something that I believe is very important. We have an amazing staff and giving them the tools needed to educate our students and take care of our facilities is always going to be a priority for me. Safety is another challenge that all districts face. One of the best decisions we made was hiring Scott Doza as our Director of Safety. Because of the work done by the WO admin team, we were in a position to do that and it has made a significant difference. We need to make sure that stays at the forefront of what we do.
I have been a Parks & Recreation Director for over 35 years. I have been involved in community activities since the beginning. I have served on the Holland Aquatic Center board and now serve on the Holland CVB board. I am a public address announcer for Hope College athletics and I umpire/officiate within many of my recreation programs. I have helped at numerous WO athletic events as a PA announcer or at a score table. I regularly attend the WO Theater performances for both the middle school and high school performances. I am a fan of the music program and do my best to attend any performances that take place, including the recent Marching Band Dress Rehearsal (which was awesome!). Being an active part of the community is necessary.
Campaign Phone
616-994-3411
Age
47
I am an engineer with an MBA and run a small consulting business. My work involves reviewing data and budgets and helping people make informed decisions. I previously served as president of the West Michigan Asian American Association, where I helped start the governance and finance committees. I also have board experience with Lakeshore United Rotaract, Mediation Services, and the West Michigan Water Safety Alliance. At West Ottawa, I have been a Cub Scout leader, coached FIRST LEGO League, volunteered at winter open gym, led the high school AI club, and served on the district’s AI advisory committee. I would bring these experiences to setting policy and understanding how it affects students and families.
My priorities are student achievement, support for multilingual learners, and preparing students for changes in technology. I want to review results by school and student group to see where students need help and whether our efforts are working. Thai was my first language, and I was an ESL student. I know what it is like to learn English while trying to keep up in school. I want students to get the support they need and families to be part of their education. Leading the high school AI club has shown me why we need clear expectations for AI use and training for teachers. With each priority, I would ask what we need to improve, what it will cost, and how we will know it is working.
I already spend time in our schools through volunteering, the AI club, and school events. I would continue that as a board member and make time to hear from students, parents, teachers, and staff. I would keep my campaign contact information available so people can reach me directly. I know from my own experience that language can make it harder for families to participate, and I want to help address that. I also want to explain district budgets, student results, and my decisions in language people can understand. When someone raises a concern, I would listen, ask questions, and follow up, even when we disagree.
Campaign Phone
616-990-5008
Age
52
I was a teacher at West Ottawa high school for nine years, and an assistant Principal at the high school for four years. I was then an elementary Principal for seven years at Lakeshore elementary in West Ottawa Public schools. I spent the last eight years of my career as the associate superintendent of human resources at West Ottawa Public schools. In my 29 years of service with the district I was involved in all things pre-K through 12th grade and beyond. As an administrator in the district I worked on three bonds. One of which failed and two of which passed. Good governance is about remembering what is best for students and staff, as well as thinking of the importance of every single tax dollar that is spent.
In a time of much needed federal and state money, West Ottawa Public schools has had the benefit of a really competent business office. The district has been extremely careful with every dollar that has been spent. Many experts believe that school funding will possibly be cut in the upcoming years. Many surrounding districts have already started the reduction of staff. It will be a unique challenge to try to keep as many of the positions as possible that were created with state and federal monies that were given to districts during the Covid years. The upcoming school board will have to make sure that this fiscal responsibility continues.
My wife, Tamara, and I have spent the last 13 years going to all sorts of West Ottawa events. Having our daughter Monroe class of 2025 and our son Grant class of 2027 attend many of these events, we learned to truly enjoy watching our kids, as well as the other 7000 students in the district participate in the things that they love. I still regularly attend things in the district, even though I have been retired for over a year, simply for the fun of it. This is when you can really get to know people and spend time listening to them.
Campaign Phone
616-268-0605
Age
40
I am a West Ottawa parent, PTO board member & occasional guest teacher, and have been engaged in the governance, strategy, and vision for the district.
A WO parent: with students at the high school and Woodside, I am passionate about supporting the success of every student.
A PTO Board Member & guest teacher: I believe wholeheartedly that the success of our students needs the community around them. I also bring a lens on the experience of our Title I buildings.
Engaged in governance: I have attended board meetings to understand the process. I invested in building relationships with existing board members. I participated in nearly every redistricting forum.
I also serve on nonprofit boards and understand the role of governance.
There are geographic realities that reinforce economic disparities in our district. Households near the lakeshore tend to be wealthier than the concentration of lower income homes near the center of the district. This can lead to a dramatically different experience for students at those central elementary schools. Programs like Panther Pathways are important not only for ensuring access to opportunity across the district but also for creating a deeper sense of community and Panther identity among our student bodies.
As a school board member, I will encourage the continued development of these sorts of programs and opportunities with a particular emphasis on seeking external partners and nonprofit organizations to support our students.
I believe that it is important for school board members to be active and engaged across the district. In addition to being present at community functions and school events, I intend to be available to connect with community members. I also plan to use social media to share updates on the work of the district.
Campaign Phone
616-566-6017
Age
66
I have served on the WO Board since 2005. I have served as vice president and president and currently serve as treasurer. As a member of the finance and secondary academics and innovation committee, I push for continuous improvement of our schools, while preserving a healthy financial position for our district. I also serve on the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District Board since 2017, currently as president. I also serve on the Holland SmartZone Board, currently as its secretary. I am a real property attorney, with much of my practice being to represent people interacting with local and state governments. My wife, Lynda, and I have raised three children through West Ottawa Public Schools.
Our top challenges are maintaining and improving educational performance and opportunities, within the funding we have available. West Ottawa has a large portion of its students who come to us with limited English proficiency and numerous families struggling to make ends meet. Our educators are meeting the challenges and our students are largely beating expectations, while we maintain an excellent financial position, with a substantial reserve fund at the same time our educators are among the highest paid in West Michigan. One challenge we still need to overcome is the lack of an early college program in our high school. Most high schools get that through their local community college but WO is not within a community college district.
I have been engaged with the West Ottawa community since moving here over three decades ago so frequently hear from people about their praise, questions, and concerns with all things West Ottawa. In addition, by being active with the chamber of commerce and community foundation, I hear from employers and nonprofit organizations serving our community. And my frequent interaction with our state senator, state representatives, county commissioners, and township board members allows me to hear from them what they hear from their constituents.
