I have a strong interest in the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) because of my background, education, experience, and desire to serve the community.
Background
I gained familiarity with the FCPS as a parent of a graduate of the FCPS and George Mason University, the spouse of a Fairfax High School math teacher for 12 years, and the Providence Magisterial District representative on Fairfax County's "Character Counts!" Task Force--focused on the character development and recognition programs in public and private schools in Fairfax County. I have lived in Northern Virginia for over 32 years—mostly in Fairfax County. I am running because...
"I believe we have excellent public schools here in Fairfax County. I want to keep them that way, and make them even better for future generations."
Education
I earned a B.A. in psychology from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio in 1969 (magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and a Ph.D. in psychology with a minor in mathematical statistics from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee in 1974. My professional education emphasized experimental psychology, human learning, research methods, and statistics, including psychometrics. I am familiar with the theory and the practice of psychological testing, such as intelligence, aptitude, achievement, and vocational interest testing. I am a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), Division 5—Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics. I subscribe to the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing published jointly by the APA, the American Educational Research Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education, and The Ethical Practice of Psychology in Organizations standards published jointly by the APA and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc. I am running because...
"I believe we have an obligation to our children, their parents, our employees, and our other stakeholders to ensure that the FCPS operates in conformance with the highest professional standards for K-12 education."
Experience
I am currently a senior management analyst in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) where I have worked for more than 32 years, including over eight years in research and evaluation of programs and institutions of post-secondary education and professional development at the DoD system-wide level. I have also taught an undergraduate course in industrial and organizational psychology for three semesters at the Northern Virginia Regional Center of the University of Virginia. My career experience has been about two-thirds in human resources management and one-third in information resources management. I am familiar with the measurement of quality (effectiveness), productivity (efficiency), and return on investment of large programs and institutions. I am also familiar with business process reengineering, including cost-benefit-risk analysis and business case analysis for management decision making. I am running because...
"I want to work with the School Board, the School Superintendent, the FCPS staff, and other FCPS stakeholders to capitalize on new opportunities for improving the quality (effectiveness), productivity (efficiency), return on investment, and accountability (to all of the stakeholders) of the FCPS."
Community Service
I represented the Providence Magisterial District on Fairfax County's "Character Counts! Task Force." I currently serve as the Lee Magisterial District representative on Fairfax County's "Barbara Varon Volunteer Award Selection Committee." I also serve as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Manchester Crossing Homeowners Association. I am active in Toastmasters International as a club member, former club officer, and former area governor. I have donated over five gallons of blood to the American Red Cross. I am a member of the Franconia United Methodist Church. I am a Major in the U.S. Army Retired Reserve (Quartermaster Corps). I am running because...
"I want to serve our community by working to make our local public school system more effective, efficient, and accountable to all stakeholders."