Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

I was born and raised in Winston - Salem and have lived here most of my life.  I am married to Christine Toole and have three beautiful sons ages 8 - 11, all of whom currently attend Sherwood Forest Elementary. The oldest will be attending the International Baccalaureate program at Paisley in the fall.

I am a graduate of R. J. Reynolds High School and hold a Bachelors in Mathematics from Wake Forest University.  My professional designations include Fellow in the Society of Actuaries and Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst. I lived as an ex-pat in Mexico City for 3 years and am fluent in Spanish.

I am the Managing Director of the Winston Salem office of MBA Actuaries, a mid-sized consulting firm supporting insurance companies, self-insured plans, and professional services firms evaluate, manage and capitalize on the economic consequences of risk.

I serve on the Board of Directors of the Society of Actuaries, am a Director of the Downtown Rotary Club, and am ex-officio chair of the Forsyth County Health Equity Action Team.

I am board chair of the Children's Theater of Winston Salem, have coached over a dozen youth basketball, baseball, football and soccer teams, volunteer in the schools with Math Superstars, and help my three boys with their homework every night. Having three children in public schools gives me a perspective current school board members do not.

Education lays the foundation for the future, both for our children and for the county.  The role of the school board is to create the conditions for students to be successful.  The building blocks are simple:

• Great teachers and administration;
• Engaged parents and community (including the business community); and
• Safe schools that provide an atmosphere that supports student learning.

We are in a fiscal crisis, and the decisions we make today will have significant implications down the road.  As a small business owner, I understand the importance of being fiscally prudent.  As an actuary, I'm trained to evaluate the pros and cons of long term investments vs short term fixes.  These are both skills which will be essential to helping make tough decisions about a school budget of over $450 million - by far the largest county expenditure - during a period of declining revenue.  Our children deserve no less.

At 72%, our low graduation rate has a significant and cumulative impact, with measurable consequences on wages, economic growth, even our health.  Closing those gaps will take more than a simple focus on failure prevention - we need to find ways to inspire students to the pursuit of excellence.

There are clear fault lines in our community. The lines of race and ethnicity often follow socio-economic disparities, which are reflected in student achievement. Identifying all the pieces and empowering them to achieve is the real challenge facing our system.

School board is always an important race, but this year it takes on added significance.  I am experienced, qualified and motivated to make a real difference, for my children and for yours. That's why I want to be a part of ensuring the best education possible for all our children. Please vote Toole 4 School May 4.