Candidate Profiles

I am running to serve our students and contribute to the continued success of our district. As both a current parent and a former educator within CRCSD, I bring a unique perspective grounded in hands-on experience and deep community involvement. During my time as a teacher and coach, I took on leadership roles to help shape our schools. I served on Roosevelt’s Building Leadership Team, the High Reliability Schools team, and led the secondary English Language Learners (ELL) department for part of my career. I was also honored to receive the Grant Wood AEA Educational Partner award for building strong, lasting connections with students and families. As a parent, I’ve stayed actively engaged, volunteering in classrooms, organizing school-wide events, and serving two years as PTO president. I’ve also contributed to district-wide efforts through the Believe in CR Schools campaign and by bringing together parents and district leaders to influence key decisions and initiatives. Outside the classroom, my volunteer work has focused on empowering families through Young Parents Network (YPN) and Parents as Educational Partners. If elected, I’ll bring a spirit of servant leadership to the board, work collaboratively to address the district’s evolving needs, and always advocate for the success of every student.

My involvement with helping get the PPEL passed, and acquiring enough signatures for the bond, I have attended more meetings the last few years to follow the progress of these initiatives.

Pursuing academic excellence for all: As a board member, my goal is to support teachers, staff, and leadership in implementing best practices and removing barriers to learning, so that every student has the opportunity to succeed. I’m committed to helping create classrooms where both students and educators feel safe, supported, and challenged to reach their full potential. At the heart of public education is the mission to prepare students to become engaged, capable, and contributing members of society. Achieving this begins with ensuring that every student reaches critical learning milestones—especially in language and math literacy—which form the foundation for future academic and personal success. This vision reflects not only what I hope for my own children, but for every student in our district. Advocating for the District’s Needs and Competitiveness: Strong schools are the cornerstone of a thriving community. When our schools are well-supported, students and families benefit—but so do local businesses, neighborhoods, and the broader economy. As a board member, I will advocate for the success of every student, champion our educators, and support parents in being active, informed partners in their children's education. My goal is to help ensure that Cedar Rapids Community School District continues to lead in all areas—from academics and extracurriculars to facilities and student support. I fully support the district’s responsible implementation of the current bond language and value the efforts to engage the broader community in shaping our shared future. As a volunteer and advocate with the Believe in CR Schools movement, I’ve encouraged parents, educators, and community members to stand behind these efforts and vote YES. I believe this kind of community-wide investment is key to keeping our schools strong, competitive, and future-ready. Best Practices and Consistency in Leadership: Effective school leadership requires clear vision, collaboration, and a commitment to doing what works. As a board member, I will prioritize decision-making grounded in evidence-based best practices and long-term planning. Stability and consistency at the leadership level are essential to building trust—among staff, families, and the broader community—and to sustaining meaningful progress over time. Our district deserves leaders who listen, who value transparency, and who are focused on continuous improvement. I am committed to supporting leadership that empowers educators, builds strong school cultures, and keeps students at the center of every decision. By working together with integrity and purpose, we can ensure our schools not only meet today's challenges but are also well-prepared for the future.

I believe one of our district's greatest strengths is its adaptability. A clear example of this is the development of unique magnet schools tailored to meet the diverse needs of our students. In my experience—as an educator, a parent, and the sister of a student with high learning needs—I’ve seen firsthand how our district treats each student as an individual rather than a number, crafting educational experiences that reflect their distinct strengths and challenges. Our district also demonstrates a strong willingness to evolve in response to the future our students will face after graduation. For instance, exploring college and career pathways shows a proactive approach to ensuring students are prepared for life beyond school. However, with that adaptability comes a potential weakness: at times, we move too quickly in shifting direction without fully engaging the community, educators, or parents. When major decisions are made without sufficient input, the outcomes can feel rushed or disconnected. On the other hand, when we do prioritize collaboration—as we’ve seen recently with the task force meetings and community conversations surrounding the 2025 bond—the results are thoughtful, positive, and well-supported. It’s in these moments that our district truly shines.

I would need much more information about the current budget to then weigh any possibilities. I think any time there is a budget conversation, it is a difficult one. I would really like to know the numbers; how much needs to be cut? What are our current expenditures? I would always advocate for maintaining our teaching staff, and showing value to our people: secretaries, bus drivers, custodians, etc. I appreciate the school improvement bond, because it is looking to save where we can in areas such as right sizing our district and saving overhead costs in partially empty buildings.

Overall yes! Helping our graduates transition from school to career or college is essential and our main goal in public education. I support the growing partnerships between our schools and local businesses, trades, and organizations. These collaborations give students real-world experience, boosting both college and career readiness while strengthening Cedar Rapids’ future workforce. As an educator involved in the early magnet school discussions and project-based learning at Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, I’ve seen firsthand the value these experiences bring. I’ll continue to champion opportunities that help students explore their passions and prepare for life beyond graduation. The role out of this initiative though seemed to be done without transparency and input from families and educators. I also believed the communicated structure was "one size fits all" in nature, and I don't believe that it should be. I support an opt in approach where families, students and school staff collaborate to determine each student's unique path and whether a pathway plan would be best for them. Some students will still greatly benefit from a more liberal arts education approach.

Absolutely! I have been fortunate to be a community member at the table during many conversations to discuss best steps forward. The plan has been refined to be fiscally responsible, while upholding what makes our district unique - our history. Our community has been at the table for the conversations and now it is time for our community to step up in support. Ultimately our district's staff, teachers and families deserve the support of the community. Our district deserves our investment.

I support the district’s facility master plan, including the focus on preserving historic buildings through modernized learning spaces and essential safety upgrades. At the same time, I believe we must remain competitive with neighboring districts by building new schools in areas of growth when it makes sense. I'm excited about the investments in Maple Grove, Trailside, and West Willow. As we continue the right-sizing process for elementary schools, I encourage stakeholders to pause and reflect. Before merging two schools, we should consider whether it's more effective to consolidate three into two rather than two into one. It's important to gather input from school communities—how do they feel after recent expansions and updates? Are we seeing positive outcomes? Thoughtful feedback should guide our next steps.

If the district had additional funds I would advocate for the hiring of more teachers. When our class sizes are kept smaller and more manageable, students receive more individual face time with a teacher which increases their engagement and oftentimes results in better success rates. This is a win-win for our schools, because this lessens the load for a teacher and helps them focus more on each student’s individual needs. Our ultimate goal as a district is to provide each and every student the absolute best educational experience that we can. Our next priority is maintaining an effective and satisfied staff. I believe this accomplishes both of these goals.

I am currently unaware of any overarching curriculum concerns. When concerns arise, I believe it's best to have conversations with those most informed; our curriculum coordinators and our educators.

As a board member I believe that comes with the job; having an open door to communication. I would invite community members, educators, parents and all, to reach out via email. I also think having office hours at the public library would be positive, so people can meet face to face and can bring their concerns and suggestions.

Yes, I believe they can. Safety is a twofold issue: internal and external. Within our schools, it is essential that teachers, students, and staff feel protected from potential threats posed by others in the school community. This requires clear, consistent standards of behavior that help maintain a safe and secure learning environment. When these standards are violated, a district-wide, consistent process must be in place to address the situation effectively. Certain behaviors simply cannot be tolerated for the well-being of the entire school community. As an educator, I felt safer in my building when a school resource officer was present. When issues would arise - and issues did arise- our SRO was experienced and built relationships with students to deescalate potentially harmful behavior. Externally, school safety also depends on securing our campuses from outside threats. That’s why community support for initiatives like the upcoming school bond referendum this November is so critical. One of the bond’s key priorities is funding essential safety upgrades, including improvements to building entryways.