Age: 60

Occupation: Senior Electronic Publisher at Lands' End, Inc. (Dodgeville)

Do you have children in New Glarus School? No. My grown son did attend school in New Glarus.

Have you been on the school board or held any other public office before? If so please describe: No, although I have served on the executive boards of church groups (United Methodist Women), citizen action groups (United to Amend) and others.

Why are you running for School Board? Serving on the School Board is an opportunity to give back to the community and to show my gratitude for all that the New Glarus Schools have done for my family.

If elected, do you have any specific goals for your term in office? My first goal would be to learn everything I can about how public policy coming out of the state house affects our local school system. I plan on doing everything I can to advocate for our district's students and staff.

What precisely do you believe is the biggest challenge for the School Board? As a result of Act 10, attracting and retaining excellent teaching staff is a top challenge. Navigating changes regarding school safety issues, curriculum standards and financing is an ongoing challenge.

What other issues would you like to see addressed by the School Board? If elected, how would you handle these issues? We need to keep a balance between teaching to satisfy standardized testing requirements and more engaging forms of instruction. I'm a proponent of encouraging girls' interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

I also believe that school is an important place to develop an appreciation of the arts and to learn practical life skills. If elected, I would like to discuss these issues with our administrators and teaching staff and help keep our curriculum offerings well-rounded.

Do you have any additional comments? New Glarus has a fantastic school district. Our schools are truly the heart of our village. Attending School Board Meetings is a great way to find out what is going on in our schools and to view first-hand the dedication of our administrators, staff and board members. They put much care and thought into programs that will shape the future of our students and our community.