Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

Living a life incredibly blessed by public education, Greg West is proud to call Cumberland County home.

Greg is married to Kristie Fields West, a teaching fellow from Meredith College who taught 3rd grade at Bill Hefner Elementary. Her parents both retired from the Cumberland County School system. Greg and Kristie have three children, two currently in our public schools.

Greg was born at Cape Fear Valley and grew up in the Eutaw area, the proud son of Hoyet and Sybil West. His father was a civil servant at Fort Bragg for over 40 years and his mother taught high school in Cumberland County for 36 years.

Greg attended Margaret Willis and Ramsey Street Elementary, Edgewood Middle and graduated from Terry Sanford High School. Greg was accepted into the prestigious College of Design at NC State University and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Environmental Design. He later earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Campbell University.

Greg returned to Fayetteville and began a career in real estate. He is a licensed real estate broker and licensed general contractor. After a successful sales and management career in real estate, Greg is now Chief of Staff at H&H Homes, a large homebuilder based in Fayetteville.

Greg is honored to be a deacon at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church where he has taught Sunday school and is in the sanctuary choir. Greg also works tirelessly to promote the community as Vice Chairman of Economic Development for the Fayetteville Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce. Governor Bev Perdue just appointed Greg to the Board of Trustees of NCCAT, the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. He is excited to help this institution advance teaching as an art and profession.

Greg's full biography can be viewed at www.VoteGregWest.com.

It has been my pleasure to serve you on our Cumberland County Board of Education for eight years, having been first elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. I have been chairman twice and much progress has been made since I joined the board to include:

• Consistent, across-the-board raising of student achievement
• Continuing our unique funding formula with the county commissioners. It's a model that has resulted in no tax increases for schools. In fact, our county property tax rate has recently declined.
• No employees were laid off due to budget cuts for the 2010-2011 school year.
• Without raising property or sales taxes, new school buildings and multiple classroom additions are opening in preparation for BRAC
• Smart Boards in 2800 of our 3200 classrooms (88%)! Working towards 100% this year
• The recruitment and successful transition to our new superintendent, Dr. Frank Till

These are just a few of the accomplishments that should make you proud of our school system. One reason I am seeking re-election is that we currently only have two board members who are parents of school-aged children. I have a child in both elementary and middle school. The board needs an active parent's perspective as we make decisions that will affect our children's future.

I am a proud product and a vested stakeholder in our public schools. I believe that education is the key to every child's future and that every child deserves an equal opportunity to become the best possible version of themselves. A quality, progressive and innovative school system is our community's greatest asset as we become a significant driver in the state and national economy.

Thank you for the opportunity and I humbly ask for your support as I seek to continue serving Cumberland County.