Nonpartisan
Candidate Questionnaire
What motivated you to run for the Fargo School Board? (100 words max)
The children!
My entire life is dedicated to helping children succeed - my career, my family, my advocacy at the local, state and federal level, as well as the numerous boards upon which I serve: Fargo Board of Education, Fargo Police Foundation (co-founder and current Board member), ND School Board's Association Governmental Affairs Committee, Afterschool Network Advisory Committee and the ND Southeast Education Collaborative Board.
What personal, professional, or community experiences have best prepared you to serve on the Fargo School Board? (100 words max)
With over 20 years on the Fargo Board of Education—including three terms as president and currently serving as vice president—I bring unmatched experience and proven results. As chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, I’ve secured vital funding for education and blocked divisive legislation through bipartisan alliances.
For 14+ years as CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley, I’ve led high-impact afterschool and summer programs serving 1,300 youth annually while expertly managing multi-million-dollar budgets from diverse sources. My advocacy isn’t just work—it’s the foundation of fighting for and delivering results for our kids.
If elected as a member of the Fargo School Board, what would be your top three priorities for the school district, and why? (100 words max)
1. Students: Every child deserves an excellent education. I will prioritize measurable learning outcomes, close achievement gaps, keep small class sizes, engage families, support all students with dignity, and ensure every child feels they belong.
2. Educators: Teachers and staff are the heart of our schools. I will fight for competitive salaries, adequate resources, manageable workloads, and mental health support so educators can thrive and inspire - even in tight fiscal times.
3. Community: A strong Fargo invests in its children. I bring proven fiscal discipline and an influential voice to maximize every dollar while respecting taxpayers—benefiting students, families, businesses, and our entire community.
Looking ahead five years, what do you see as the most important opportunities and challenges facing the school district? (100 words max)
Opportunities abound: responsibly integrating AI into learning, boosting literacy and math proficiency, expanding mental health supports, strengthening family engagement, and redesigning teacher recruitment and retention to attract and keep outstanding educators.
Key challenges include balancing ambitious goals with tight budgets and fiscal responsibility, addressing students’ emotional needs and barriers to learning, countering national rhetoric that unfairly criticizes public education, and navigating divisive partisan debates.
By keeping students at the center, we can transform these opportunities into real progress through practical, collaborative solutions that tackle challenges head-on.
How would you approach balancing investment in academic programs and facilities with the district’s long-term financial sustainability? (100 words max)
We must prioritize our limited resources with a sharp focus on improving student outcomes. I bring proven experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets across complex federal, state, and local funding streams. Every dollar will be carefully scrutinized to ensure long-term sustainability.
It is equally critical to elect a leader skilled in the state legislative process, as the new tax relief and reform legislation will be revisited next session. I am experienced, comfortable, and highly capable of balancing competing priorities and demands from diverse constituencies.