Join me on my Journey!
My Story:
I am a 22-year Greendale resident and mom of three district students, attending elementary, middle and high school. I grew up in Wauwatosa with my educator parents: my dad, a high school biology teacher and my mom, a third grade teacher.
I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA in Accounting from UW-Milwaukee Lubar School of Business. Early in my career I served as an auditor and actuary for two large Milwaukee accounting firms and later as a financial consultant for Northwestern Mutual.
As a volunteer, I served on the Citizens Budget Committee for Greendale School District during business manager Erin Green and superintendent John Tharp’s tenure. I was also a committee member who worked under John Tharp to develop a new district strategic plan, which was set to expire under his tenure.
I taught Introductory Accounting and Cost Analysis at UW-Milwaukee, while obtaining my MBA. In addition, I was a substitute teacher for the Greendale School District and enjoyed working in the different schools.
I am married to David Hughes, who is just as passionate as I am about Greendale and all it has to offer. In my spare time I enjoy downhill skiing, playing tennis and swimming. In the evenings I am a violinist for the Milwaukee Festival City Symphony.
My Platform:
I’m running to improve communication, boost our academic proficiency and, with my background as an actuary and public accountant, to ensure our students, educational teams and taxpayers alike get the most value from our finite resources.
Improve communication: Whether the topic is our safety plan, honors programs or the latest trends in curriculum, I believe facilitating an ongoing conversation between the board and district leaders, parents, relevant village departments and the community as a whole is a core leadership responsibility. I will work to improve transparency and dialogue through more proactive promotion of board agendas, encouraging more forums and information sharing and holding myself accountable to understanding all sides before I vote. I will uphold all board policies in my actions.
Boost academic proficiency: All candidates will talk about declining test scores and returning Greendale to its academic glory days, but few have taken the time to understand how we got here or have a plan for how to change it. I have experienced the degradation of our robust curriculum over the years and will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure a return to academic excellence.
I have high expectations and great respect for the district and classroom educators, and will work to ensure the long-term impact of curriculum changes within the district’s control are carefully evaluated, communicated and discussed before advanced. I will work to ensure the impact of state or nationwide instructional changes are contextualized for our district and well understood by parents.
I will continue to position Greendale as a destination school district that extends beyond academics, including its music, arts and athletic programs. These programs build life experiences for our kids and are an important part of adulthood readiness.
Ensure fiscal value: As an experienced actuary, public accountant and accounting instructor, I am uniquely qualified to understand the district’s revenue and expenses. I will apply this business acumen to helping the district use its finances as best it can. This means taxpayer responsibility as well as value for our kids’ education and their educational teams.
Final Thoughts:
As a mom to a fifth, seventh and eleventh grader, the character of our community means so much to me. Our kids need to grow up to become successful both professionally and socially – with a solid basis of empathy and understanding of others. I have seen Greendale School District foster the roots of this success in my children. If elected, with my leadership, support from parents and our community, the schools can contribute to individual character even more.
Thank you for joining me on this journey.