A school board member should be a bridge between the community and the people running our schools. Someone who speaks up for students, staff, and families, and who has not lost touch with either.

We also need to change a belief that runs deep around here. Too many of us think our responsibility ends the day our own children walk out of the building for the last time. Mine did not. Every child in our community is our responsibility, and the advocacy has to keep going.

I graduated from James Island High School, and my first job with Charleston County schools was driving a school bus as a student. All three of my children came through CCSD and graduated from James Island Charter High School. One is a registered nurse, one is a staff sergeant in the Army, and one teaches Spanish.

I worked at James Island Middle School as a student data clerk, retired from the district in 2018, and came back in 2019 with the Office of Communications and the Office of Family and Community Engagement. I substitute teach now. I have seen how our schools run from the inside, and I know what students, teachers, and administrators are up against.

As president of the Forest Hills I Civic Association, I manage a budget, organize community projects, build partnerships with local leaders, and get government, schools, and residents into the same room. That work prepared me to ask hard questions about a district budget and to speak for District 5 students and taxpayers.

RUNNING TO BE YOUR ADVOCATE
District 5 needs a champion who knows the community, understands the community, listens to the community, and advocates for the community. I am running to be your advocate for District 5.

In 2026 I ran for North Charleston City Council in District 1 and lost by 30 votes, 170 to 140. I learned a valuable lesson from Congressman Jim Clyburn. He told recent District 5 graduates to try, and try, and try again, and never to give up. He told them to ignore the baseball rule that says three strikes and you are out. I took that to heart. I promise to try, and try, and try each and every day to improve outcomes for every District 5 family. 

Closing the gap between our highest- and lowest-performing schools requires a leader with a vision for every school, someone accountable to the community, and someone who can hold our leaders accountable to real and meaningful results.