Born and raised in Virginia Beach, Suzanne is a community leader with deep policy expertise and a strong connection to our schools. She is mom to three VBCPS students, the PTA President of Thoroughgood Elementary, and the Vice President of the Board of Virginia Beach Court Appointed Special Advocates (VB CASA). With 20+ years of professional experience in policy and advocacy, she is ready to work for her hometown, her kids, and yours.
A Fresh Voice with Deep Expertise
Suzanne is running for school board for a simple reason — her kids. She knows that every parent wants the best for their children, and she is committed to ensuring that VBCPS students get the best education possible. She will support our students so they can thrive — academically, socially, and emotionally. Suzanne knows that teachers and staff are VBCPS' greatest asset, so she will engage them in decision-making, pursue fair compensation, and strive to optimize their working environment.
Suzanne is a proud Virginia Beach native. She grew up steps from the Chesapeake Bay in a family of educators. She attended Thoroughgood Elementary, Great Neck Middle, and Cox High School and graduated with honors from William and Mary. Suzanne has a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin, a degree that combines public administration, local governance, and policy development.
Suzanne brings something new to the table: decades of experience listening to real people and translating their views into effective policies. She has spent her professional career advocating for better policies for children — bringing the experience and expertise of individuals and organizations to elected officials. For the last seven years, Suzanne has run her own consulting business, supporting non-profit organizations to draft, amend, and implement federal policies related to vulnerable children.
After building careers in Washington, D.C, Suzanne and her husband, a pediatrician, returned home to Virginia Beach to raise their family. Their three children attend the same elementary school Suzanne did — Thoroughgood — where she has been PTA President for two years. Leading the PTA has taught Suzanne how to engage with parents, staff, and students to find common-sense solutions that work for everyone.
Suzanne is proud of the work she has done with the PTA — starting an international event to showcase our NATO and other families; building a sister school relationship with Diamond Springs Elementary; establishing two outdoor learning areas; and purchasing (and sometimes wearing) the Sandy the Seagull mascot costume.
Suzanne is proud to serve as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Virginia Beach Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), an organization that champions the best interests of abused and neglected children in our court system.
In her free time, Suzanne enjoys warm days on the Bay, traveling with her family, and dining on patios with friends.
Suzanne is ready to work for her hometown, her kids, and yours.
My Priorities
Listening to Families
Suzanne will ensure policies work for our families.
Across District 9, families do not feel that the school board takes their experience into account. They want someone who will listen to their concerns and value their input. I will seek the input of Virginia Beach families prior to policy discussions — using social media, encouraging email outreach, and deeper discussions through town halls and other forums.
It is important we know how decisions, like extending the school day by 10 minutes, affect our families before the board makes a recommendation and moves forward with a vote. Ten minutes, a seemingly small change, had an outsized impact on people's lives — upending schedules, complicating childcare, and causing additional stress and mental load. Going forward, we must learn from this experience and build flexibility and reliability into our school calendars and better account for families in our policy decisions.
"I've spent my entire career translating the needs and expertise of real people into common-sense policies. I can't wait to do this for our city and our schools."
Investing in Staff
VBCPS must respect its staff and pay them what they deserve.
Teachers and staff are the heart of our schools. VBCPS pays teachers the least of all of the Hampton Roads school districts. We cannot expect to recruit and retain top talent if we pay less than Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Portsmouth, Hampton, and Suffolk.
We must pay our staff what they deserve. We must also show staff that we respect and value them in ways beyond their paychecks. We must give staff meaningful ways to engage with our school board and its decision making. We must listen to their viewpoints, learn from their expertise, and build a culture of trust.
"If we cannot recruit and retain top talent, the quality of our schools will suffer. If the quality of our schools suffer, our city will be less attractive to families. Our property values will decrease, and our economic growth will stagnate. But most importantly, our students, the next generation of our city, will not receive the education they deserve."
Student Safety, Mental Health & Social Emotional Learning
We need to consider the whole student — providing pathways for academic success while fostering social and emotional learning and strong mental health.
First and foremost, our students and staff must be physically safe when entering our buildings. No parent or student should have to hold their breath as the bus pulls away in the morning, hoping everyone comes home safe. We must constantly evaluate threats, including those online, and invest in prevention.
Mental health and social and emotional learning are critical components of a student's academic journey. A 2023 study indicated that 40% of American high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Social media and the rise of artificial intelligence poses significant risks to young people. At the extreme, this includes online exploitation and abuse, but the constant onslaught of content has built a culture of comparison, social isolation, and unsteady self-esteem — an overwhelming prospect for kids and teens.
We must find the sweet spot between challenging our students and giving them time and space to be kids. This must begin in early childhood and carry through high school. Students should have time to play, connect with one another, and learn how to work in groups. VBCPS academies and advanced programs have many benefits, but we must ensure we aren't putting undue pressure on students too early.
Supporting Curriculum for an Ever-Changing World
We must anticipate and adjust to technological advances, including AI.
Technology and artificial intelligence is changing our children's world in ways we cannot fully understand or predict. We can no longer trust what we read or even see. Memorization, once a key component of education, is less relevant, as a world of information is literally at our fingertips. We must ask ourselves: How do we protect our children in this new world? How do we teach them to think critically about what they read or see? How do we prepare them for successful careers?
Even adults struggle to regulate their technology use, and we can't expect children to manage it better than we do. I support proposals to limit reliance on technology, especially for our youngest learners. However, we cannot ignore that many of our educators, especially those who started teaching after 2019, are accustomed to teaching via Chromebooks and other technologies. We must ensure that educators have the tools, training, and time they need to adapt before implementing any broad-scale changes in how they teach.
As the school board considers AI policies, we must first ensure that children are safe. This is a daunting task, as AI moves at a literally inhuman pace. Next, we must adapt — teaching students about the benefits, risks, and ethical considerations of AI; showing them how to learn in this new world; and positioning them to succeed in the rapidly changing job market.
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