Why I Decided to Run for the Board of Education
From Self-Doubt to Public Service: How One Question Changed Everything
If you had asked me a few years ago whether I would ever run for public office, my answer would have been a quick and confident "no."
Like many people, I viewed public service as something done by someone else. I was busy building a career, raising a family, and navigating the day-to-day responsibilities that come with both.
Then a simple question changed everything.
One of my son's teachers asked whether I had ever considered running for the Harford County Board of Education. At first, I dismissed the idea. But the question stayed with me.
Over the following months, I began talking with educators, parents, current and former board members, and members of the community. The more I listened, the more I realized how important local leadership is, and how directly those decisions impact students, families, educators, and the community as a whole.
What ultimately led me to run was not politics.
It was service.
As a parent of two neurodiverse children, including one son on the autism spectrum, I have spent years navigating educational systems, advocating for my children, and working alongside teachers, administrators, healthcare providers, and support staff. Those experiences gave me a firsthand understanding of both the strengths of our schools and the challenges families sometimes face.
Professionally, I have spent more than twenty years helping organizations solve problems, manage resources responsibly, and build systems that support long-term success. The more I reflected on those experiences, the more I realized they might be valuable beyond my professional career.
At some point, I came to a simple conclusion: if we want strong communities, we need people who are willing to step forward and serve.
Too often, we assume someone else will do it.
- Someone else will volunteer.
- Someone else will run.
- Someone else will solve the problem.
But healthy communities depend on people who are willing to contribute their time, experience, and perspective when they are called upon.
Whether serving on a nonprofit board, coaching a youth sports team, volunteering in a school, or seeking elected office, public service takes many forms. None of them require perfection. They simply require a willingness to participate.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned through this experience is that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about being willing to listen, learn, and help.
I do not know what the future holds, but I am grateful that I said yes to the opportunity to serve.
Sometimes the most meaningful opportunities in life begin with a question we never expected to hear and a decision to step forward despite uncertainty.
For me, that question was simple:
"Have you ever thought about running?"
The answer changed my life.
