Election Day is November 3, 2026
This year voters in the Mankato Area Public School District will have the opportunity to vote for three candidates to serve four-year terms on the School Board.
I hope you’ll consider voting for me and re-electing me to another term on the School Board.
Below you’ll find information about me and my priorities. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.
The Minnesota Secretary of State Website has everything you’ll need to ensure you can cast your ballot.
About me
I was born and raised in Mankato and am a proud product of the Mankato Area Public Schools (MAPS) and graduate of Mankato East High School. Today, my connection to the district is even more personal: my wife is a teacher at Mankato West High School, and our two elementary-aged daughters attend our schools.
I am completing my first term on the School Board and currently serve as board treasurer. My professional career has centered on education and workforce policy and community leadership for nearly 20 years. I began with the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C., representing governors on federal education and workforce issues. I later returned home to serve as Vice President of Greater Mankato Growth, directing public-policy work and advancing regional priorities with business, government, education, and nonprofit partners. I subsequently led government relations and policy for Western Governors University - the nation’s largest nonprofit university in the country.
I now serve as Senior Director of Government Affairs for Cengage, where I lead government affairs and public policy for an education company providing learning materials and digital resources to nearly 16 million students and adult learners around the world. I earned a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College, Moorhead and a graduate certificate in public management from George Mason University.
These experiences—as a former student, current parent, teacher’s spouse, education-policy professional, community leader, taxpayer, and school board member—reinforce my belief that great schools make great communities.
Why should you consider voting for me?
I am seeking a second term because I believe education transforms lives, strengthens communities, and creates opportunity. Serving on the School Board is one of the most meaningful ways I can give back to the schools and community that have given so much to my family and me.
When I first ran, I said great schools make great communities. Four years of service have only strengthened that conviction. I believe strong schools prepare students for successful lives, develop a skilled workforce, attract families and businesses, and support our region’s long-term vitality.
I am proud of the progress our district made during my first term:
Investing in safer, stronger schools through the successful $105 million facilities bond referendum I was proud to champion. These investments are improving safety, expanding early-learning opportunities, and modernizing educational and wellness spaces.
Establishing a clear strategic direction through an extensive process involving students, staff, families, and community members. That work refocused the district around its mission: “Excellence, Equity, and Empowerment: Every Student, Every Day.”
Expanding educational choice by creating three elementary focus schools centered on STEAM, outdoor and nature-based learning, and global studies.
Addressing a significant budget shortfall through difficult decisions designed to strengthen the district’s financial position while protecting core student services.
These are collective accomplishments made possible by students, educators, staff, administrators, families, community partners, voters, and board members. My role has been to listen, ask hard questions, examine evidence, establish priorities, make difficult decisions, and remain accountable to the public.
Effective school boards govern responsibly. They establish direction, adopt policy, oversee finances, employ and evaluate the superintendent, monitor results, and maintain public trust. Members will not always agree, but they must disagree respectfully, make decisions, and work together. That is the perspective I have brought to my school board service, and will continue to should I be re-elected.
My Approach to School Board Service
My approach to service as a School Board member is student-centered and evidence-based. My primary question is: What is best for all students? I review data and research, listen to students, families, educators, and staff, and consider benefits, costs, tradeoffs, and long-term sustainability. Good governance combines evidence with the lived experiences of the people our schools serve.
As board treasurer, I bring financial and strategic-planning experience. Every district dollar is a public dollar and should advance the needs of our schools. I ask whether spending aligns with our mission, whether expected outcomes are clear, whether investments are sustainable, and whether results are being evaluated.
My career has been spent working in and leading nonpartisan organizations. I know how to bring together people with different perspectives, identify shared goals, and seek responsible solutions without abandoning principles. I evaluate issues on their merits, exercise independent judgment, explain my reasoning, and reconsider my position when better evidence becomes available.
I also bring experience in K–12 and postsecondary education, workforce development, teacher preparation, and technology policy. My years at Greater Mankato Growth helped me build strong relationships throughout the region’s business, nonprofit, government, and civic communities. These experiences can help the district expand career-connected learning, strengthen partnerships, understand state and federal policy, and advocate effectively across the political spectrum.
I respect every employee who contributes to student success and am committed to transparency and accessibility. Board members should value staff expertise, set clear expectations, communicate honestly, and support the recruitment and retention of excellent employees.
I am proud of what we have accomplished, realistic about the challenges ahead, and optimistic about what our district and community can achieve together. I will continue to prepare carefully, listen respectfully, act independently, explain my reasoning, and keep one question at the center of every decision: What is best for all students?
Learn more about my approach & values.
What are my priorities?
Important work remains. Should I be re-elected, I intend to focus my next term on:
Redesigning the middle and high school experience so students have more opportunities for hands-on learning, career exploration, internships, mentorships, college credit, and industry-recognized credentials. Every student should graduate with a meaningful next step and the skills and confidence to pursue it.
Adopting a thoughtful and responsible approach to technology and artificial intelligence. Technology can expand access, support educators, and prepare students for a changing world, but it can also distract from learning or compromise privacy. Technology should serve learning—not drive it. Our decisions should be age-appropriate, evidence-based, protective of student information, and grounded in clear instructional goals.
Strengthening the future of teaching. High-quality teachers are critical to student success, yet teaching has become more demanding and complex. To recruit and retain excellent educators, we must listen to teachers, reduce unnecessary burdens, provide effective support, and create working conditions in which talented people can build sustainable careers.
Protect the district’s long-term financial health through disciplined budgeting, clear priorities, transparent communication, and responsible stewardship. Financial sustainability also depends on earning families’ confidence so MAPS remains the clear first choice for education in our region.
I am proud of what we have accomplished, realistic about the challenges ahead, and optimistic about what our district and community can achieve together. I will continue approaching every decision with humility, preparation, independence, and one primary question: What is best for all students?
How can our district contribute to the overall economic success of our community?
We often hear about workforce shortages, but our community doesn’t have a talent or workforce shortage issue. We have a retention issue. Each year thousands of individuals graduate from our secondary and postsecondary institutions in the region. Unfortunately, not enough of them stay. Our schools are the leading producer of our future workforce and we need to do a better job of connecting students with our business community early and often so that we can increase their chances of staying (or coming back) and contributing to Greater Mankato. Whether a student is college bound or looking to enter the workforce directly, there is tremendous value in giving students more hands-on experience in a business setting aligned to their interests.
In addition, the perception of our schools as high-quality is a significant factor in our community’s ability to attract new business opportunities and talent to the region. The school board has a significant responsibility to manage our district’s historic reputation for excellence or we will do serious damage to the ability of our community to continue the economic growth we’ve enjoyed.
How can I be sure you’ll spend my tax dollars wisely?
My experience with budgets begins at home and extends to nearly 20 years of professional experience working with public and non-profit budgets. Through my various professional roles, I’ve managed multi-million dollar organizational budgets and worked deeply with federal, state and local budgets that require me to be familiar with fiscal polices, guidelines and procedures. A budget is a reflection of our priorities. When reviewing a public budget, I seek to ensure that there is first a solid strategic plan in place that focuses on the right things and that we are aligning resources necessary to deliver on that plan. Just as importantly, the school board must be diligent in evaluating the ROI of those investments and in holding ourselves accountable to the outcomes we say we want. Transparency with the public is paramount throughout the process.
Fortunately, our MAPS levy is one of the lowest per student when compared with peer districts. Unfortunately, our district faces a challenging financial future. As a school board member, it’s important that we be forthright and honest with the public about the needs of our school district and that we advocate for the investments necessary to protect our community’s investment, including competing for MAPS to be the preferred education choice for our families.
How will you work with other board members?
I’ve spent my entire professional career working at and leading non-partisan organizations. I bring to the board a deeply honed ability to treat everyone with respect, ensure all voices are heard, and the recognition that collaboration, collegiality, compromise, and consensus is the heart of our democratic system. With all of the disfunction in today’s politics, our school board can and should be an example to our community – particularly our students – about how adults can work together in the best interest of a common cause, not personal agenda and division.
Learn more about me
