My Commitment
- Safety & security
- Restore confidence in the Board
- Establish high expectations for student achievement
- Implement special education corrective actions from 2018 audit
- Respect parents' rights
- Implement & monitor measurable goals
- Increase accountability
- Frequently communicate results
- Engage ALL stakeholders
My Story
Hi everyone. We love living in the Tri-Cities, especially Richland! This community is amazing and a great place for a family to grow. I am the father of four children, three surviving, and happily married for 26-years. Jenelle and I spent a majority of our adult lives as a military family, lived across the United States, and overseas in Japan. The military lifestyle and moves made us appreciate the ability to call one place home. My children were born in Groton, CT and Pearl Harbor, HI and after settling in the Tri-Cities, attended Richland schools for the past 7 years. We spent many years participating in various community events, local charities, the local swim club, high school swimming, and Special Olympics. Being a parent of children with special needs and learning disabilities we know and understand how challenging it is for parents to navigate the system and ensure their children are provided FAPE and appropriate services. Because of our years of personal experience with special education, we stay involved in Special Education and are active members on the Special Education Task Force and the Benton Franklin Counties Special Education PTA (see link below).
I hail from the “Cement Belt” of Pennsylvania and yes, actually worked in a cement mill. Because of my family’s socioeconomic situation, I worked nearly full time through high school so I’m no stranger to hard work and challenges. Working as a teenager taught me valuable time management skills and important lessons on accountability, integrity, grit, and quality of service. After graduation, I fulfilled one of my dreams and enlisted in the Navy to become a submariner. Wow, boot camp was not what I expected and unlike my peers I did not have the most relaxing and enjoyable post-graduation summer! While serving my first enlistment, I earned the opportunity to attend and complete the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection & Training (BOOST) program which enabled me to attend Penn State University, earn a BS in Electrical Engineering, and a commission in the U.S. Navy. During my 26-year Navy career, I served on five (5) submarines and commanded one, served overseas, deployed numerous times, spent tons of time underwater (which is not as bad as some may think) and earned a Master of Science degree. Kudos to my amazing wife for raising our children, some with significant disabilities, including a long stay in the NICU for our triplets, by herself. Throughout my career I was always in awe of and inspired by the diverse, patriotic, and talented Americans I served with. My career provided me the opportunity to lead at all levels, grow personally, be accountable, overcome so many challenges, work with amazing people, see the world, and learn the art of being a servant leader.
After transitioning from the military, I was recruited to lead nuclear operations and readiness at one of the Hanford sites where I helped build, mentor, and lead a team of over 200 dedicated and amazing 24/7 operators through construction, startup, and commissioning of multiple facilities. The role provided me with new and exciting learning opportunities. I realized that for me, regardless of job and years of experience, success comes down to committing yourself to the team and mission, owning the good, bad, and the ugly, knowing and taking care of your team, respecting one another, asking for help and helping when needed, taking time to give back and mentor, and always show up to do your best. My life and career experiences are well-suited to becoming a Richland School Board Director.
On the fun side I like to stay active, bike ride, swim, workout, bowl, garden, read, get to know new people, learn, but most of all I enjoy spending time with my family. One thing many do not know about me is I am an avid board game collector and will often convince (bribe) my family into expanding their board game horizon. I pride myself on service before self and am always looking for ways to positively contribute to the community.
Thanks for reading!
My responses to the League of Women Voters of WA questions
How has your experience prepared you for this position?
My Navy and civilian careers and parenting of multiple children attending RSD schools (special needs, learning disabilities, and gifted) prepared me for the position by providing the following:
- Strong leadership foundation
- Deep understanding of the school director role
- In-depth knowledge of special education laws and requirements
- Ability to create and execute winning strategies
- Knowledge and expertise to cultivate a continuous improvement mindset focused on student outcomes
- Wealth of ideas and solutions to help transform RSD into a highly effective district
- Belief that parent involvement and full transparency are non-negotiable and critical to success
- Ability to collaborate and develop winning teams
- Appreciation for the importance of proper governance
- Fiscal responsibility
- Ability to coach & mentor leadership
- Perspective to solve the most critical issues and restore focus back to student educational outcomes, and
- The desire to serve our community
What, in your opinion, are the three most pressing issues facing your school district currently?
Biggest issue is substandard student outcomes in general education and special education because more than half of our students are not proficient in core subjects. RSD has no cohesive strategy to recover lost learning and remedy the issue. Special education students need and deserve more from us. The District has not followed through on corrective actions from audits performed 6 years in the past, hindering progress. Second, we must collectively address student mental health issues. COVID-19 negatively impacted our students more than anticipated. We have to work collaboratively to find solutions and ensure robust, parent-involved services are available. Due to my own family dynamics I have experience in this area and worked with many stakeholders across the state. Third, the District needs to improve transparency and be more parent inclusive. Parents deserve to see performance results, financials, curriculum, classroom activities, etc. without having to ask. We want involved parents.
How would you respond to the issue you consider the most important?
Lack of progress on student outcomes is the biggest issue. To begin, I would assemble a task force of parents, teachers, and students to discuss the “why” behind our performance struggles, develop solutions and rapidly implement them. The solutions may look different school to school. There is plenty of data available but it is not used effectively. The goal is to help teachers help each student by assessing performance and providing effective interventions. Rapid intervention is necessary. Good collaboration with parents is essential to help close learning gaps. To help students, more robust after school tutoring and summer programs are needed. We need to use data vice feelings to drive decisions. We have to look holistically to ensure we are setting all of our students up for success in whatever career field they choose post graduation, this is not just about going to college. We can expand programs and get more local community involvement to help us achieve excellence.
Please describe your approach to evaluating and holding school administrators accountable for their performance.
First step in holding someone accountable is to ensure they know what they are accountable for. The school board must lay out expectations and set SMART goals for the Superintendent. Once the Superintendent acknowledges these expectations then they must flow them down to their staff. The Superintendent works for the school board and is accountable to the board. In fairness, the board needs to frequently communicate and assess the progress of the Superintendent and give honest feedback, clear directions for improvement, and coach when needed. If at any time the board feels the Superintendent or their staff are not meeting the right standard it is the board’s responsibility to address the issue, formally document the event with the Superintendent, and provide guidance for improvement. Only after failure to meet a formal improvement plan should the board seek a different resolution.
How would you work to balance the needs and interests of students, teachers, and parents within the school district?
Staying focused on student achievement will maintain balance because it requires parents, teachers, and staff to come together and support their students. The District must have a clear vision for high achievement, the plan to get there, and SMART goals to give shape to what actions are needed to support the vision. These elements provide balance because every aspect of the educational system will be devoted to the same goals. Decisions made through the lens of how it impacts student achievement can help remove conflict because at the end of the day we all want high student achievement. Keeping everyone focused on student achievement requires constant communication to stakeholders and full transparency. When everyone knows the goals, sees how the District is performing, and receives meaningful communication, the entire system stays balanced. Maintaining a student achievement centered focus with visible progress keeps everyone moving in the right direction.
