ABOUT ME
MOTHER, WIFE, LEADER
WHERE I COME FROM
Born, raised and a lifelong member of the North Fargo community. As a 2003 graduate of Fargo Public Schools, and proud Fargo North Spartan, my roots are here and it is where my children's future is. I am a natural go-getter with endless passion that drives me to expand my knowledge, experience, and relationships. With a strong background and diverse skill set, I’m confident in the creative ideas and successful solutions I bring to the table.
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A THRIVING CAREER
Whether it was providing medical care to fellow soldiers in Afghanistan, or leading professionals at the world's largest software company, I am and always have been devoted to people and service. I make decisions, lead others and deliver results that model the core values in which I was raised with. Through my educational and professional experiences, I’ve had the opportunity to build a strong, diverse skill set that has proven to be an asset in many different situations. It’s this intense dedication, passion, and devotion that fuels my fight for change. Explore the site to learn more about the issues that I am concerned about and my plan to tackle the problems, celebrate the good work, and ways we can work together to deliver a brighter future for Fargo Public Schools.
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FAMILY LIFE
I am married to my wonderful husband Tom, of 13 years. Together we have 2 children, Henry 10 and Annabel 7, and our fur baby Nordy. As a family we enjoy spending time at our lake place, all things hockey, friday night movie nights, and traveling. While I have been able to accomplish many things in life my children are my greatest achievement. Raising them, hanging out with them, learning from them and advocating for them and their future brings me immense joy.
I am also very lucky to have my parents just a few blocks away and my in laws a few short hours away. It is a blessing to be able to raise a family in this community and to be surrounded by family who take an active part in our lives. Henry has spent more time in the Spartan's penalty box as Grandpa Doug's sidekick than I hope he ever does while playing hockey.
MISSION STATEMENT
If elected to serve my areas of focus will be the following:
support for our educators
I had the opportunity to attend the teacher negotiations sessions this summer and the key theme I would use to summarize my observations would be lack of support. From the policies to the contract language the educators in our community were not being heard, understood, or shown value. As a hopeful school board member, I would work with our teachers to understand what is going on, where the misses in execution, communication and expectations are coming from.
Some that I am already aware of are contract language on behavior reports, classroom sizes, burnout just to name a few. The barriers and walls that are currently up need to be broken down, communication, understanding and willingness to dig in, find the root cause of the issues and get our amazing educators the much-needed support they deserve.
accountability
Parents parent
Teachers teach
Leaders lead
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As a board member the responsibility is to ensure the governance policies in place drive effective results for the School District. Many of the policies and even the district’s own vision and mission statement lack measurable items and clear KPIs. I plan to utilize my career experience as a people and business leader to improve the overall policies, hold peers, leaders, and law makers accountable to deliver the best education for our children.
strategic vision
Problem solving and creative planning happen to be in my top 5 strengths. I commit to working with community members, parents, and teachers to bring options to the table, to solve problems and to engage in communication.
School boundaries and a commitment to effective planning for the growth of Fargo. Fargo Public Schools’ mission statement states neighborhood schools, this has not been the case. I commit to working not only with School District leadership but City of Fargo leadership to make sure our School District and our City are in lock step when it comes to growth plans. We have plans in place to provide infrastructure and services to all the children in our district.