I have been married for 11 years and am blessed with 2 daughters, ages 9 and 5. I am currently at home with my kids, though I am trained as a physician and scientist and have strong analytical credentials including a BS from MIT.

Our family moved to Arlington two years ago looking for a kid-loving and active town. We fell in love with the tight-knit community, urban-style accessibility and strong schools.

To learn more about the Arlington school system, we have attended School Committee meetings and have taken opportunities to visit the grade schools, Ottoson, and Arlington High School.

I would bring to the job a professional and inquiring viewpoint, as well as:

Proven commitment to hands-on childrens' education:

--I have co-founded two Destination Imagination teams and coached for the past 3 years, meeting weekly with a group of kids to work on the DI challenges, teamwork and creative problem solving.
--member and volunteer, co-op preschool, 6 years
--supporting our family's commitment to coaching soccer, teaching religious education at First Parish, and assisting with the AHS Lego Robotics team

Demonstrated ability to communicate and improve processes:

--chaired Nominations Committee for Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring (UUCSS), which selects and recruits a panel of Board candidates. While doing this I saw a need for and personally created a manual to make future committees more efficient and effective.

Sustained desire to build community:

--co-organized and ran young adult group at UUCSS for four years
--coordinated neighborhood monthly playgroup for four years (only neighborhood-wide event for kids 5 and under, ~40 families)
--organized with police a one-time neighborhood seminar on pedophiles and child safety, to address neighborhood concerns