The concept of public service was first introduced to me in elementary school with a “Kids Voting”-like experience.  Once planted, that seed was nurtured through encouragement I received from others to enter a life of public service.  Even though on most occasions I was just a face in the crowd, it was a message that resonated within me.  For example, in high school, I was among several student leaders in Forsyth County who were given the privilege of spending a day with elected officials and we were all encouraged to seek public office in the future.  Transitioning from high school to college, I had the honor of serving as a Governor’s Page for Governor James G. Martin.    In various leadership positions for the Junior League of Wilmington, I have had the privilege of meeting numerous public servants (from Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, to Bill Frist, former US Senate Majority Leader), all of whom championed a life of public service. 

The question of seeking public office has never been “if” but rather “when?”  The “when” came for me in 2006 when the Board of Education adopted an elementary school redistricting plan that the public had no prior opportunity to review and comment upon and, moreover, adopted that plan during a Board work session when Board policy specifically dictates that voting should not take place at a work session without the urgent need for an immediate decision.  In addition to the Board not following previously communicated courses of action with regard to the redistricting decision, the net effect of redistricting the schools was the re-segregation of our public schools.  Because of this action by the Board, coupled with the fact there is no parent representative on the Board, I realized it was time to run.