As a leader, professional, and active community volunteer, I’m a collaborative problem solver. I bring decades of experience and knowledge to every project, team, and role. I’m also an amateur photographer and writer, regularly camp out at coffee houses in Menlo Park, and have a wonderful partner, three teenage boys, and two cats that rarely laugh at my jokes.
Women are the best role models
My story starts with two amazing women… my mother Amy and my Grandmother Rosilee. They made sure education, hard work, and a sense of humor were values my younger brother Jason and I inherited. This picture is one of my favorites… my oldest boy Alexander, now 19, is spending time with Gramma Amy and Gramma Ose.
Home is where the heart is
For the last four and a half years, my family has called Menlo Park and District 3 home. It’s a perfect fit for our quiet, happy weekends together. Radmila works in Special Education at Menlo Park City School District and talks daily with her family in Bosnia. Alexander is the oldest, speaks English, Russian, and German, and was just certified as a personal trainer. Vuk and Noa attended MPCSD and are currently at Menlo-Atherton High School as a senior and sophomore. Our two cats, Turkey and Onion, don’t do much.
Leadership starts with strong schools and teachers
Growing up in a small Texas town, I had access to great schools and teachers. Pine Tree Independent School District is one of the state’s best and it gave me a solid foundation in language, math, science, the arts, and sports. My favorite teacher, Helen Padgett, taught for 41 years and nudged a skinny, shy sixth grader out of his shell with kindness, attention, and a love for learning.
Experience comes from the willingness to explore
A natural curiosity, inherited from my mother, inspired my diverse and interesting 30-year career. I currently work at Stanford and also serve our city as the Chair of Menlo Park’s Environmental Quality Commission. I’ve held global leadership roles in large, well-known organizations, including Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, and eBay. For 12 years, I worked and lived in Switzerland and Ireland, visiting dozens of countries across Europe and Asia Pacific. And for almost four years, I was the Chief Executive Officer of Ignited (previously IISME), one of California’s first STEM nonprofits focused on teacher development in K-12 education.
