Síndico —

Although born in the midwestern United States, most of my childhood was spent in San Diego with the bulk of my education being at public schools in the San Diego Unified School District and local public colleges and universities. 

Education has made all the difference for me in my journey.

I am running for this position because I think I can help. 

I'd like to see more children look forward to being at school and feeling like it is a place they can succeed.  I support living wages.  I understand the importance of the support staff who make everything run. I see value in project labor agreements.  I support preparing our children to be socially and technically fluent so they can succeed in the world they will inherit from us.

I'd like to help make these things happen. My personal, professional, and academic background as well as experience have prepared me to serve you. My academic background includes degrees in Marketing, Operations Management, Information Systems, and Educational Leadership. I have a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, PMI Project Management Professional certification and ProSci change management certifications. I have also been trained in Shingo Lean which focuses on building and sustaining a culture of continuous improvement.  My dissertation focus was on employee engagement within the context of strategic planning, collaboration, and innovation.

Professionally, I have worked for the past 14 years at the University of California, San Diego where my responsibilities have ranged from extramural funds management to business systems analysis with a current focus on organizational development. 

Shortly after completing my doctorate in 2015, I began with teaching doctoral students and eventually undergraduate students at UCSD. Throughout all of this, I have been engaged with my community. I have shown up and made the effort to make a difference whenever and wherever I could because it's who I am.  

Most importantly, I have been in the roles of SDUSD student and parent. 

In closing, Ubuntu theory says, I am because we are and because we all are therefore, I am.

His experience managing asset protection and risk management departments both locally and nationally, multi-million-dollar budgets, and volunteer roles on many advisory boards for community based and non-profit organizations qualify him to fill the role as School Board Trustee. His background in entrepreneurship, fraud investigations, and leadership inform his mindful but competitive approach. Stephen is fueled by his passion for understanding the nuances of our current educational environment.

He considers himself a ‘forever student,’ eager to both build on his academic foundations in business, criminal justice and legal studies, but stay in tune with the latest teaching and learning pedagogies and strategies through continued preparation.

His hunger for “living the listen”, continued knowledge and determination to turn information into action has contributed to his most recent success at Westat, where he led one of the most efficient California based teams. Meanwhile, he has vastly improved the partnerships with school Principals, Teachers, and Classified staff by implementing strategic leadership methods learned from his MBA program majoring in Strategic & Organizational Leadership.

Stephen believes mindfulness in the organization and on the board is key to success - a tenet he lives out through his interests in mental, physical and emotional health. Stephen is currently working to improve the lives of all San Diegans by ‘lifting’ his cohorts and clients who are always interested in challenging the status quo of their industries.

Today, Stephen wants to serve as your voice in the San Diego School District. One that echoes your concerns. A voice for Equity, Transparency, Accountability, Reconciliation and Safety.

My commitment to innovation and equitable education will help the board to identify solutions to many of our current classroom and student resource disparities.  As a parent of three young children I am invested in creating the best learning environment possible, integrating feedback from parents, and collaboration and data-driven solutions to our educational challenges.

Let’s restore the CHARACTER of the School Board! Together, we can invest in early childhood learning, student engagement, and student and parent rights. Help me secure positive learning environments by working with me to ensure that schools are secure and that student safety is a top priority. Let's reform the San Diego School Board election process by advocating for "District Only Elections." Donate today and let's get to work!