Pitt County Board of Education                   District 9

Your current job and title: 

Professor in the Department of Health Education & Promotion at ECU

Your highest level of education: PhD

If you’re elected or re-elected, what will be your top priority? Why?  

My top priority would be engaging parents and families in a child's educational journey. In recent years, a divide has occurred between families and teachers/school administrators. This relationship should really be a partnership, and we need to find a way to get back to that. Additionally, I look forward to advocating for higher teacher pay and reinstated masters pay at the state level. It is time we address this across the state and pay teachers what they deserve.

If you’re elected or re-elected, how will you involve your constituents in the process of making decisions? 

I am trained as a public health researcher where the community is the center of what you do. I would utilize these skills and apply
them to my role on the Board of Education. We can't pretend to know what it is like in schools and classrooms when we are not in there every day all year. We need to provide opportunities for school staff and families to give feedback on what they love about Pitt County Schools and what could be improved. And then we need to actually listen to them.

Why should voters choose you for the position you’re running for? 

I believe it is important to have a pulse on what is happening in the school system. I am married to a high school teacher, and I have three children in public school. I have served on the PTA (as president and vice president), and I volunteer in my children's classrooms weekly. I want to know what is happening in the schools by being engaged.

In addition to my personal connections with the school system, my professional work has afforded me many opportunities to partner with the schools on certain initiatives. A lot of my work revolves teaching others (adults and children) how to emotional regulate in a healthy way, and with the mental health issues we have seen in recent years, the schools can use this information to provide more productive environments and increase student success. My expertise and experience have provided me a solid foundation to provide a different perspective on the Board of Education.

Which three things about you do you most want voters to know? 

1. I have led and been a part of statewide collaboratives to advocate for policies that would prevent excessive substance use and create more resilient focused communities. I can use this experience to assist with advocating for increased funding for public education at the state level.
 
2. I have spent years working on research that improves the lives of individuals in eastern NC. My focus is always to leave my community better than it was so my children can thrive. This will continue to be my focus if elected to the Board of Education.

3. I am a Certified Community Resilience Model (CRM) trainer. In this capacity, I hold workshops at schools, faith-based organizations, workplaces and community settings to help individuals understand that adversity and stress change how our brains work, and provide individuals skills to better emotionally regulate in a healthy way. I have trained hundreds of individuals in eastern NC.

Is there anything else about you that you wish to tell voters? 

I have recently taken up paddle boarding, and I am always looking for a good book!