Email Describing My Relevant Experience

A few weeks ago I announced my candidacy for Dobbs Ferry Board of Education with an email that outlined why I am running and the main issues I will focus on if I am elected.  I wanted to follow up today with a little more information about me -- my involvement in our schools, my work experience, and my educational background.  

I am running for the Board of Education because I think we are at a critical juncture in our District.  We have tough challenges to meet, and even though we'll have an administration with many new faces, we cannot afford to waste any time before we get down to work.  I believe that my background and experience will enable me to hit the ground running on day one. 

My husband Rob and I have lived in Dobbs Ferry for 13 years.  We are the proud parents of a 4th-grade girl and an 8th-grade boy.  

I have been actively involved in our schools for many years, which has provided me with a good working relationship with most of our District's administrators, a solid understanding of the issues that all three schools are facing, and valuable insight into how our school district works on a day-to-day basis:

• SPRING Community Partners -- co-founder and Board member of not-for-profit whose mission is to ensure that all children in Dobbs Ferry, regardless of means, have the resources they need to succeed in school and beyond; for more information, see: www.springcommunitypartners.org
• PTSA -- co-chaired Springhurst Parent Education committee, Editor of The Current newsletter, 2007 PTSA Special Recognition Award, Nominating Committees, volunteered at numerous Pumpkin Fairs, Book Fairs, and fundraising events
• Springhurst Compact Committee 
• District Nutrition & Wellness Committee
• District Theater Arts Task Force
• Springhurst Social Concerns Committee
• High School Bullying Committee
• Springhurst Publishing Room
• Springhurst Class Coordinator

My educational and work experience have given me legal, data analysis, and educational evaluation skills, which will also help me to be an effective member of the Board of Education:

• Attorney (Litigation Associate, Knowledge Management Resource Attorney), Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP, 1995 - 2006
• Senior Research Assistant, MDRC (public policy research firm created by the Ford Foundation; performed evaluations of government education and training programs), 1990 - 1992 
• Research Assistant, Policy Studies in Education (non-profit educational consulting firm that helped K-12 school districts design curricula and helped colleges and universities design programs for adult learners), 1989 - 1990 
• Bear Stearns & Co., Research Assistant, Management Trainee, 1986 - 1989

University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1995 (Law Review)

Duke University, B.A. (Economics, Art History), magna cum laude, 1986

Edgemont High School, Class of 1982

If you missed my previous email or want more information about the election process, some of the issues we face in Dobbs Ferry, or me as a candidate, please visit my blog, http://baronfordobbsferryboe.blogspot.com/.

You can also find me on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/BaronforBOE.  (Please "like" my page and share it with your friends!)

I hope I can count on your support on May 17.  And once again, if you are comfortable, please forward this email to friends whom you think I might not know.