NELSON
FOR NJUHSD BOARD

I am a 54-year old father of two and have been an appointed member of the NJUHSD board since 2023.  Since moving my family to the area ten years ago, I have tried to support my kids and the schools as a mountain bike coach, board member (at SAEL for four years before joining the NJUHSD Board) and have stayed active in the community.  I have been a Peace Corps volunteer (Ivory Coast 1993-1995), little league coach and a member of various planning and design boards.

For the last ten years I have worked for large general contractor building hospitals across northern California.  As a construction professional with 30 years of experience I am personally invested in making sure that our schools prepare our kids for a wider range of careers that includes the construction trades, health/medical and similar high-skill, high-demand professions.  This year, the construction trades across the U.S. are facing a shortfall of over 500,000 workers.  While I am the product of a college education, amazing careers that don’t go through a 4-year college should be a choice that the District fully supports and not just be considered a fallback.

We live in a region with an incredible history that is diversifying economically and demographically, and these changes can create challenges for the schools.  The setback from COVID has been enormous, and we are seeing a spike in suspensions and expulsions that the District cannot solve alone.  I have worked hard with the other Board members this past year to keep the focus on providing the best education possible for our kids, supporting our amazing teachers and working to stabilize the finances of the District.