Party affiliation: Democrat
Are you an incumbent for this seat? Yes
Education/degrees: Bachelor of Science in Chemistry – Pomona College
Doctorate in Medicinal Chemistry – Univ. of Kansas
Post-Doctoral Fellowship – Columbia University
Occupation: Scientist at Pfizer
Civic involvement: Current member of the Old Saybrook Board of Education
Current treasurer of OS Middle School PTO
Current treasurer of OS High School Music Boosters
Past cub scout den leader
Previous offices held and other government service:
What are the major issues for your town? I believe the three key components for the education of our children are outstanding teachers with high expectations of each individual child, a globally competitive curriculum that challenges all students appropriately and an enriching / erudite environment that fosters excellence in learning. Pursuit of these goals while managing fiscal constraints at the municipal and state levels is exceedingly challenging. Success requires cooperative vision and partnership from all the constituencies of Old Saybrook.
What makes you the best candidate for this office? As my pre-college education was in Brazil, Canada, Malaysia, Thailand and California, I have first hand experience with a global educational culture and curriculum. I am also acutely aware of the complexity of the issues that challenge our current and future generations. I firmly believe that providing the best educational experience possible for all of our children is our best hope for addressing these issues. Consequently, I care that:
- our teachers have the full support of the administrators and the Board of Education so that they can excel in their profession.
- our curriculum is relevant and challenging.
- our school environment nurtures a culture of excellence in education.
What was the last book you read, and what did you think of it? While I read voluminously, with my involvement in the schools of my 7th grader and 10th grader, I currently do not have the time to read books for pleasure. The last book that read was on SQL programming (gripping). However, there are many topics which I keenly follow in the news media. An example is delicate interdependency of culture and leadership that unfolded at Hewlett Packard. Ideally, culture should transcend leadership. However, the recent demise of two HP CEOs due to their clash with the ionic culture of HP is a clear demonstration of the intricacy of this relationship.