I am a 22-year resident of Highlands Ranch and am running for the Douglas County Board of Education in District C.  Cindy, my wife of 24 years, and I have three daughters who have graduated from or currently attend Douglas County Schools. Our oldest recently earned her Bachelor’s Degree and just began her career as an actuary. Our middle daughter is a sophomore in college studying Forensic Science. Our youngest is a sophomore at Highlands Ranch High School, and for this current school year we are hosting a student from Madrid, Spain.

As an actuary, I study and manage financial risk for a living. Through that profession I know how to accumulate and interpret data, how to recognize opportunities for improvement and excellence, and how to allocate and be accountable for resources. I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1985, graduating with distinction. I have also continued my education professionally, earning credentials as an Associate in the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and a Fellow in the Life Management Institute.

In whatever activities or organizations in which our family has participated, I’ve taken an interest in leadership. When my kids were playing sports, I coached their softball and soccer teams. I served on our church council, including three years as its president. I also served on the board of a local non-profit youth theatre group for five years, and was president for two of those years.

I am running because I bring both a vision and a track record of working to make this school district better. This culminates thousands of hours given during seventeen years of involvement, from the classroom to a macro level of the entire district. I have studied and understand the issues paramount to DCSD: from providing a full range of educational options for students and parents; to the state and local funding mechanisms and how they interrelate; and accountability in academic performance throughout our district. I have the ability to help people understand complicated issues, and I search for facts amid the furor that sometimes accompanies vigorous discussion in our community. Finally, I bring experience from leading other organizations when they dealt with both change and challenges.

I have been passionately interested in Douglas County schools and an active contributor in numerous ways for many years. Some have read the minutes – I have put in the hours, thousands of them, making this a better school district. My occupation as an actuary gives me a skilled perspective to look at financial projections and risk. My enthusiasm as a coach and mentor has helped many kids and parents find their sweet spot for learning. My record as a leader who welcomes facts and listens to many viewpoints is well known. My volunteering in buildings has earned me the respect of teachers who know I want to help kids succeed and that I’ve been right next to them as they inspire their students. My experience as an active parent of three successful Douglas County students gives me the appreciation to value and honor the central role a parent should play in the education of his or her child.

Since 1994 my wife and I have had children in DCSD schools. Over those seventeen years I have stuffed Thursday folders, founded and coached a Math Olympiads team at Fox Creek Elementary, coached a MATHCOUNTS team at Cresthill Middle School, and announced softball games for Highlands Ranch High School. I served on the Fox Creek School Advisory Council in the late 1990s and was its DAC liaison. In August 2009 I joined the District Accountability Committee (DAC), representing the Highlands Ranch HS feeder area. In April 2010 I was appointed to the Fiscal Oversight Committee. I became chair of the DAC in October 2010 and in that role I have tried to invite all stakeholders (parents, teachers, school leaders, the community) to come together to learn about education issues and engage with one another to find common ground.