A Tech Executive, a Belmont Parent, a Voice for Academic Excellence

I was born in the Bay Area. My wife and I moved our family to Belmont for the same reason so many of our neighbors did: the historic excellence of this district's public schools. We wanted a community anchored by top-tier education. Today, with three kids moving through the system - our youngest started TK at Redwood Shores Elementary and is now in 1st grade, one is at Central Elementary, and our oldest is at Ralston Middle School heading toward high school - I'm personally invested in where SUHSD goes over the next ten years.

Professionally, I've spent my career building technology that helps small businesses succeed. Today I serve as Vice President of Product and Design at Next Insurance, a fast-growing insurtech company that has scaled to serve more than 500,000 small businesses nationwide and been named to Forbes' Fintech 50 multiple years running. Before that, I spent years as VP of Product at Yelp, also focused on small businesses. I hold an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.Sc. in Math and Physics - and I bring that same executive rigor to how I think about this district's budget and academic priorities.

Outside of work, my family and I love skiing, traveling, and camping trips to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, some of the best parts of living in this state. I also paint and do photography in my spare time, and I've also coached AYSO soccer here in Belmont, including my own kid's team - turns out getting a 6-year-old to pass the ball is harder than any board meeting I've sat through.

If you asked any parent what their absolute dream for their child's education would be, it would be a custom-tailored, individualized education - one that meets their child exactly where they are. Every kid and every family is different: one might be ready to excel in math, another in the arts, another in leadership or the sciences. The school board's job should be to get as close to that vision as possible for every student, not a one-size-fits-all approach. That's the standard I want to hold this board to.