Building Relationships and Inviting Conversations

A Kittitas Valley resident for a cumulative 28 years, I graduated from Central Washington University with a bachelor's degree in English  in 1991 and a master's degree in teaching English as a second language in 1993. I am currently in my 30th year of teaching, and I spent 20 of those years as an English teacher and librarian at Ellensburg High School. I am an avid community volunteer, serving as a reserve police officer for the Ellensburg Police Department, and as the president of a local nonprofit that supports residents of our community fighting cancer. 

I am excited for this opportunity to serve as a school director because I am passionate about supporting our schools, our students, and the teachers who make learning happen for our children every day.  As an educator myself, I have a deep understanding of teaching and learning, and because I taught throughout the Covid pandemic, I saw first hand the transformation that our students and schools experienced. Education for education's sake is a thing of the past; instead, we now must strive to make learning for each student as relevant and as individualized as possible. The Ellensburg School District can only do this through strong relationships both within our organization and also with our parents and community members. These relationships must be built on trust and collaboration. We need a board of directors willing to not simply listen, but to invite dialog and do so in a welcoming manner. Our schools belong to all of us, and we all want the best , most vibrant education possible for our children. If given the opportunity to serve, I look forward to contributing to the vital work of building relationships, nurturing trust, and fostering collaboration between our community and our schools.