I have lived in the Dexter Community in Webster Township for
16 years. I am married to Heidi. We have six children: Wyatt (2016), Lanna
(2018), Sophia (12th grade), Raleigh (9th grade), Cami (7th
grade), and Trent (3 years old). During one school year, we had a child in five of the six schools, all except Bates. By the time Trent is through school, we will
have had at least one child in school for 29 years straight. That’s my personal interest in keeping our schools
excellent.
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and
a Masters in Civil Engineering from Michigan Tech and a Masters in Engineering
Management from Wayne State. I have
worked at Ford for 25 years. I’ve been
managing teams within Ford Information Technology since 2003. At times, this has included global teams with
40+ team members.
I have extensive public service experience. I grew up in Novi where I served on the City
of Novi Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment Committee during my senior year
of high school. After college, I served on
the Novi Planning Commission then was elected to City Council at age 23. While I was on City Council I was a member of
SEMCOG Areawide Water Quality Board. I also
served on the Novi Parks and Recreation Commission. Since living in Webster Township, I have been
on the Farmland & Open Space Preservation Board, the Planning Commission,
and the Zoning Board of Appeals, with a few years serving as Chairman of the
Planning Commission and Vice Chair of the Zoning Board.
Current School Board Member:
In 2016, I was appointed to the School Board and I am currently
the Secretary of the School Board and am on the Facilities Committee and the
Policy Committee.
I feel that I am qualified to continue to serve on the
Dexter School Board. I bring a fresh perspective and experience to the Board, including effective working relationships with
other board members and the administration. I truly
understand that one-size doesn’t fit all when it comes to education – each of
my children has utilized different aspects of what Dexter Schools has to offer. My public service experience gives me a
strong working knowledge of governmental organizations. It also gives me the understanding of the importance of
listening to all viewpoints, information, and considering the communities needs to make an informed decision. All these aspects help make me an effective
school board member working to build upon the excellence of Dexter Schools.
Goals:
My goal is to make sure we provide an excellent education
for every student in the district in a fiscally responsible manner. I think priorities should be towards
providing opportunities to help each student be successful in the path that is
appropriate for her/him and thus be properly positioned to succeed upon graduation. This will include keeping highly successful programs such as IB/AP while looking for ways to provide
more innovative and/or individualized learning without forcing students into excessive ‘screen
time’ and losing the benefits of our traditional teacher-led classrooms.
Some areas I think we should explore include:
·
Improve opportunities and options for
non-college bound students, in addition to the consortium classes currently
available
·
Applied hands-on opportunities such as
engineering technology programs for the high school and middle school
·
Look for opportunities in the earlier grades for
flexibility to give kids an engaging educational challenge for their individual
level
To make progress with the above items, we need to:
·
Attract and retain high quality teachers and
staff
·
Grow and nurture our collaborative environment
with our teachers and staff
·
Properly plan the updates of our facilities via
the bond program that was approved by the community in 2017
·
Look for and strengthen partnerships with other
entities to help deliver innovative programs
·
Continue to improve upon communication and
information flow with parents and the community
I look forward to receiving your support on November 6th. Thank-you.
