Who I Am

I am...

...a proud trustee for St. Albert Public Schools

(currently serving as Board Chair)

...a father of two St. Albert Public School students
(both currently at U of A)

I worked as an IT professional for over thirty years. My experience ranges from help desks to corporate boards, from big data to buildouts, to finding the darn printer driver that never works.
I've served as Treasurer and later Vice President of CUPE local 1099, the support workers union.
I began my career as the planner for a public school board, and ended it as a technical analyst for a public school board!
In between, I built out databases and managed IT projects, eventually serving as an executive for a handful of companies in the finance and telecom industries in the US.

During my tenure as Chair, your Board of Trustees has:

Advocated for a new K-9 school in the Cherot neighborhood The government has awarded this school, and site selection is currently underway.
Advocated with all levels of government for a new high school in the northeast of St. Albert. The City has recently approved the re-zoning of a 16-acre site in the area. This work is critical to meet the needs of our growing school division.
Asked for, and received, an exemption from the Minister to draw down over $7 million dollars in operating surplus for specific plans to spend the additional funds on technology upgrades, school modernization and operations, and support and services to optimize student learning.
Advocated for Collegiate funding for our High Schools. The government has awarded over $1 million for this project, and program planning is underway
Opened the conversation with the Minister of Education and our Alberta School Boards' Association around updating the outdated provincial Standards for Special Education. The government has created a commission to oversee this work.

Your Board of Trustees has worked diligently on behalf of the students and families of St. Albert for the last four years:

Advocated for the Bellerose High School modernization to commence. The government approved the project, and it is ongoing.
Advocated for a "Griffin Walk" connector between the two buildings in the Hillgrove complex. The enclosed space is now completed, and creates an interior link to integrate the campus.
Conducted a complete cycle of policy review for the school division.
Attended parent council meetings in all schools, conducted community workshops for discussion around broad topics every year, hosted separate policy review workshops with staff and community members, begun a joint-advocacy committee with the City and our sister Boards, and started a student advisory round-table with students from our middle schools and high schools.