1) What do you see as the district's most significant challenges over the next several years?
Glendora's most pressing challenge is enrollment — families are choosing other options, and every one of those choices is a family telling us something. I don't think the answer is a marketing campaign; I think it's asking honestly why some families have left and what it would take to earn them back. Alongside that is the budget reality that comes with fewer students: GUSD has to make real trade-offs, and I'd rather make them early and transparently than delay them until they're forced. Our facilities need real investment too — some of our buildings are pushing 70 years old — which is why I support this November's bond measure. But I'd want those funds spent with real oversight and public accountability, not just approved and forgotten.
2) What principles would guide you as a Trustee when these disagreements arise?
My starting point is that parents are the primary decision-makers for their own children, and the district's job is to support that role, not compete with it. Board members are called “trustees” because they’re being trusted to take care of things that don’t belong to them. When disagreements come up, I think the healthiest process is one that's transparent from the start — clear information about what's being taught and used, and a real channel for parents to raise concerns before those concerns turn into conflict. I'd rather the board be known for listening early than for managing controversy late.
3) How should the district balance a parent’s ability to make choices for their own child with decisions about what materials should be available to students and families?
I don't think this has to be an either/or. Families should be able to make the call for their own kids. That's not a loophole; it's the basic relationship a school district has with the households it serves. At the same time, a district can offer a range of materials without every family being required to use all of them. The board's job is to keep that structure honest: clear information, real opt-outs where they matter, and a default posture of trusting parents rather than working around them.
4) What do you see as the district's role in supporting student well-being and mental health?
Kids carry more pressure today than most of us did at their age, and schools see it up close. I think the district's role is real but bounded — GUSD should make sure kids who are struggling get noticed and connected to help, and that teachers and counselors have what they need to do that well. But the district isn't the community; it's one place where the community shows up. The real work of forming a kid emotionally happens at home, at church, on a team, with neighbors. Schools can support that work. They can't replace it.
5) What programs, resources, or approaches would you prioritize, and how would you balance those needs against the district’s other educational and financial responsibilities?
I'd prioritize the basics working well before adding new programs on top: enough counselors, clear referral pathways for families, and teachers who feel equipped rather than solely responsible. Given the district's financial constraints, I think the discipline is asking what we can do consistently and well versus what looks good but isn't sustainable. A smaller number of things done reliably beats a long list of initiatives that fade after a year.
6) What experience, qualifications, or perspective would you bring to the GUSD Board of Education?
I hold an MBA from Oxford and spent five years in wealth management, where I held a Series 65 license — work that required real accountability for outcomes, not appearances. Today I work in product management with exposure to AI, which gives me a clear view of what's changing fast for the next generation of students. I've also lived in Glendora since 2017, and my wife and I are raising our kids here as a homeschooling family. That unique combination of professional rigor and a genuine stake in this town's kids is what I'd bring to the board. I also bring a perspective the current board doesn't have: relationships with families who've stepped outside the district, and an interest in building the kind of trust that brings them back in ways that help both GUSD and those families.