I am a licensed realtor, having served as president of the Commercial Board, director of the St. Louis Board of Realtors, president and treasurer for the local chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), and member of SIOR’s national Audit and Finance committees. In my 35 years of commercial real estate practice, I have advised several non-profit organizations such as Autism Speaks, Judevine Center for Autism, National Industries for the Blind, Operation Brightside, St. Louis University and Washington University. I serve as president of the Hellman Foundation, which grants academic scholarships to Missouri University, and as trustee for the SIOR Educational Foundation, which awards scholarships to college students majoring in Real Estate Studies. In the finance field, I was a director on a local bank board that merged with Stifel Bank. I have also been active in the local art community with the Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, and Art St. Louis, where I have volunteered and displayed artwork.
I look forward to sharing my experience as a current Board member, parent, businessman, and educational fundraiser to continue to bring creative ideas to the Board.
Why are you running for Ladue Schools Board of Education?
I am running for re-election to make the district the best educational experience for all of its students. The Ladue School District faces challenges in upgrading its school facilities and creating an operating budget that motivates and appropriately compensates our outstanding teachers. I believe my experience with development, construction and financing will be an asset to the Board in completing the 10-year facility plan. I will continue to dedicate the time necessary to support our current and new superintendents, our exceptional teachers, students and Ladue School District community members.
What are the key issues facing the Board of Education in the next two or three years?
The Ladue Schools Board must maintain a strong financial foundation to operate its facilities efficiently while not losing sight of its purpose to educate its students, while providing staff and teachers superior compensation. We have an opportunity to renovate the rest of our schools as state-of-the-art learning centers that integrate STEM, fine arts, and sports functions in energy-efficient facilities that reduce operating costs. Also, we need to increase resources for consulting and behavioral and creative learning strategies to help our low-performing students achieve success. I support the administration and the Board to be good stewards of the district's resources in order to provide a great educational system for our students.