“Every decision I make as a board member begins where my journey started; as a parent who believes in doing what’s right for our kids and our community.”
Meet Kathleen
A rare family portrait of a very busy group of people! I am the lucky mother of three children.
Picking up filing papers to run for office with one of my kiddos in 2022. My campaign then (and now) is led by volunteers in our community.
Being sworn in by my children’s principal in 2022 was one of the most special and proud moments of my life.
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When I joined the GUSD Board of Education, I brought with me the heart of a parent, the perspective of a social worker, and the skills of an operations director. I have seen, firsthand, the difference it makes when families, teachers, and district leaders come together around a shared goal: helping every student feel seen, supported, and challenged. Serving on the Board has deepened my appreciation for the people behind the work. From the teachers who spark curiosity, the staff who create safe spaces, the administrators who guide with care to the families and our students who benefit when policy is designed to work for people.
Every decision I make begins with a simple question: “How will this help students thrive?” I believe in listening first, asking thoughtful questions, and leading with integrity. My path on our School Board has been about doing the right thing the right way, with transparency and compassion at the center of every conversation.
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As a single parent raising three children in GUSD, I’ve experienced this community as both a mom and now as a board member. I’ve celebrated milestones, navigated challenges, and all the time I have felt the same deep gratitude for the teachers, staff, and families who make Glendale so special. My time on the Board has strengthened my belief that when we lead with honesty, collaboration, and heart, real progress follows.
I am running for re-election because I want to continue building on that progress, expanding opportunities for students, supporting our educators, and keeping our district’s work transparent and accountable. I promised to focus on the nuts and bolts that make schools great, and I’ve done that by championing programs that invest directly in classrooms and strengthen communication with families. My path has shaped how I parent, how I lead, and how I serve and simply put, I’m not finished yet.
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I spent my formative years in North Seattle. My father worked full-time while also volunteering as treasurer on many local boards. My mother worked as a neonatal physical therapist and was a constant volunteer in our schools and president of the PTA. She taught us through her actions that if you could get the work done, then you did it. I called her just a few weeks ago to find her on her roof cleaning out the gutters, because as she would say ‘if I can do it, why make someone else?’
My siblings and I were incredibly fortunate to be born into such a loving family. In my challenging teen years, my parents' actions taught me what a strong support system looks like. While I didn’t make it easy, my family never gave up on me. They were able to do this by having the support of their friends, my school system, and each other to keep them going when the times were the hardest. Together with their community and the support from our school district, they were able to research programs that would offer me the structure and education I needed. I want this level of support for every child in GUSD.
In college, I played soccer for Sonoma State University, earning my undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice.
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Shortly after graduating college, I met the man I would marry. We moved to Southern California, where I earned my graduate degree in Forensic Social Work from Cal State LA and had my first child. I had been working in social service and clinical research in the area of mental health until shortly after my daughter’s birth. I then taught Criminal Justice and Psychology courses at the college level until my first son arrived in 2010.
As with so many working parents, it became more expensive for me to work than it was to stay home. I quickly found work through a friend managing vacation rentals - over 15 years later we still work together and I am the Director of Operations for the company.
With the birth of our third child, we moved from Altadena to La Crescenta to be part of an amazing and established school system. My daughter started TK at Valley View, where I made some of my lifelong friendships with the parents I met in what I now call my family community here in Glendale USD. She went on to attend Dunsmore in the Japanese program for kindergarten, until we made the difficult decision to leave this amazing dual immersion program for Monte Vista, our zoned school. My other two children were also lucky enough to attend TK at Valley View. I know firsthand that quality early childhood education is a game-changer.
Our lives were full and we had established incredible friendships along the way, when my husband’s sudden illness turned our lives upside down. I was watching the children I loved more than anything grow and bloom while simultaneously watching my best friend, their father, fade away from us. In 2018 we had to make another hard decision: we moved to a home that I could afford on my own in the chance he did not recover. By August of that year my husband left to receive treatment near his family in Georgia, where he lives to this day. Together, we decided the best thing for our children was to keep them in an environment they felt secure in and around the incredible friends they had made. I navigated the permit process, and drive them daily from our home in Rossmoyne to their familiar schools. I continue to have a strong school community and couldn’t have taken on the role of solo parent without the help of my friends, neighbors, and the long-distance support of my own family.
What I found in Rossmoyne was another supportive community that broadened my respect for the differences within our district. I cannot express the joy it brings me to see my children ride their bikes down the tree-lined sidewalks, or wave at my neighbors as we drive past one another. I love that my kids scooter to and from their friends homes and play happily at Nibley Park. The beauty of this area is surpassed only by the kindness of my neighbors.
Some time into the pandemic, I began to watch as this great community I loved, that had been my strength when I was weak and had welcomed me in with open arms, started to crumble. As our two-week extended spring break became three, four weeks, then two months, then distance learning… I witnessed friends turn on each other. I watched as fear and anger changed the way great people treated each other. It was as if through the last two plus years I watched a vibrant and connected community break apart into islands of anger. Truthfully, it broke my heart.
When I realized that the school board position for my trustee area was up for election, I knew I had to take action. I needed to stand up and use the experiences that have shaped me, built my strength, and developed my perspective to give back to the community what was so freely offered to me many years ago. I chose this district because I believed in the direction it was already heading and I want to make sure GUSD is meeting its goal of excellence every day, at every school.
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