FAQ's | My Site

Responses to News Questions

The following are responses to questions I have received. As more are sent, this page will be updated

Family

My wife, Becky, and I moved to Andover 13 years ago. We have 3 children, Patrick (16), Teddy (14), and Jackie (11). Our two dogs, Marshmallow and Chewie, might be the most recognized dogs in Andover due to their walks around Baker’s Meadow Pond, trips to Oak and Iron Brewery, and greeters to all the Andover Soccer coaches picking up materials at our house.

Education

I hold a Bachelor of Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and I earned an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business after our first son was born. I have also devoted substantial time to educating myself about Town and school budgets, school building projects, redistricting, and school committee and educational policy by being actively involved for several years before deciding to run from School Committee.

Current Job

In my current role as a Strategic Account Director at Ironclad, I manage the digital transformation and contracting infrastructure for some of the world’s most complex organizations. This isn't just a corporate title; it’s a toolkit I intend to use for our schools.

My day-to-day work directly translates to the School Committee through:

Expert Contract Negotiation: Ironclad is the leader in digital contracting. I spend my career navigating multi-million dollar negotiations and complex legal workflows. I will bring this 'pro-level' experience to the table during collective bargaining and vendor discussions to ensure our district gets the best possible terms.
Stakeholder Alignment: I am an expert at building consensus among diverse 'buying committees'—from IT and Finance to Legal and End-users. I will apply this same discipline to bridge the gap between parents, teachers, and administrators, as well as the Andover community at large.
Fiscal Strategy: I help companies move from 'spending' to 'investing.' I will apply that same lens to our school budget, ensuring every dollar is tied to a measurable return on student achievement and operational efficiency. I think it is also important to focus on strategic, long term capital investment strategy to prevent building deficiencies from becoming a crisis or debt burden in years to come.

I’m not just running to join a committee; I’m running to bring professional-grade strategy and negotiation with a fair and balanced approach to the leadership of our schools

What prompted you to run for public office?

Having served on the Budget Advisory Council, Redistricting Advisory Council, School Start Time Advisory Group, volunteered in schools, and been involved with many projects in town I know that I have made an impact, but I know I can do more to help Andover. It is time to start talking about change and step up for our schools and our town. I did not start my candidacy on a whim, but have considered this carefully. I have done the work and invested time consistently for years to understand the complex issues, to vote at Town meetings, to attend many, many meetings of our school committee, select board, and building committees to make sure I have a solid understanding of issues, and I have consistently contributed my voice, maintained an open dialogue with town leaders, and dedicated many hours of my time before asking residents of Andover to vote for me.

The School Committee is responsible for hiring, supporting, and evaluating the Superintendent, as well as setting district-wide goals and policies. What qualities and leadership approach do you believe APS most needs from its next long-term Superintendent, and how would you ensure transparency and community trust in major district decisions?

First, hiring and managing the performance of the superintendent is the most important job of the school committee. To hire the right superintendent for Andover, the process needs to be transparent and collaborative. We need input from all stakeholders including parents, teachers, staff, and residents to share their priorities and ensure they are included in the job description. I expect the process to include focus groups and forums, and other forms of public input.

At a minimum, a superintendent must have budgetary and curriculum expertise. However, Andover needs more than the minimum requirements. The next Andover superintendent needs to put students first. Parents, teachers, administrators, and other adults all have a point of view and valuable perspective, but students must come first.

In addition to a student- first philosophy, we need a superintendent that is a strong leader. A strong leader guides, inspires, and influences a team toward a shared vision while balancing strategic results with empathy, integrity, and accountability. The Andover Public Schools mission statement reads “Our mission is to educate our students to be resilient, engaged, lifelong learners and compassionate community members, who are critical thinkers, collaborative problem solvers, and positive contributors to a diverse and rapidly changing society.” Leading with empathy, integrity and accountability will help all stakeholders work toward that mission.

Finally, the relationship between the superintendent and the AEA needs to be repaired. I think it is important to select someone who understands how to rebuild trust with all employees which will be needed to get back to a productive relationship with our school unions.

Other biographical information that may be useful for voters to know

Education has been an integral part of my upbringing. My mother was a teacher at Lowell High School for over 25 years. One of my three sisters is a professor at Salem State and another sister taught in Boston Public Schools. I have an MBA and Becky has a Master’s Degree. I like to think that education is in the Crow DNA.

Andover Public Schools is facing significant budget pressure, with difficult decisions around staffing levels, class sizes, and student supports. If elected, what two specific educational priorities would guide your budget decisions — and where do you believe APS should be willing to reduce or restrain spending if revenues fall short?

This question comes up every year and is top of mind for everyone. As a member of the Budget Advisory Council and a concerned parent, I’m very familiar with today’s budget and process. In 2026 and for the near future, Andover, like many communities, is in a very different position than it was in prior decades when we enjoyed budget surpluses and business as usual within our annual budget increases. We face year-over-year budget deficits that we have been able to successfully navigate with careful oversight, while avoiding the financial disasters other communities face by refusing to make tough decisions in a timely manner. This must continue and we must continue to educate constituents about the budget process, and funding schools within our means. There is no easy fix and we must be agile and creative to maintain service levels and appropriate staffing levels to deliver the highest level of education in Andover.

The first priority should always be protecting classroom instruction and student supports—maintaining reasonable class sizes within School Committee policy and ensuring essential services for students. This will require a careful focus on balancing student population with appropriate staffing level. Budget realities and limitations in certain building facilities also constrain class size management and we need to have open and fact-based discussions about the impact of these factors. Planning for the future is important in maintaining appropriate class size in Andover and we must look beyond the current year or rhetoric without understanding the reality of how complex this issue is.

The second priority is maintaining strong academic curricula consistent with our education plan and the skills students will need to succeed in the world today, while delivering them efficiently. That means making sure programs have the staffing and systems needed to be effective. If we can’t deliver a program well, we need to evaluate whether it’s the right use of limited resources.

If revenues fall short, restraint should start outside the classroom—by slowing administrative growth, delaying discretionary initiatives, and carefully phasing in new programs—while keeping quality education as the top priority. We need to continue to have all options on the table to pull the levers we need to keep schools properly funded without creating massive deficits. We also need to encourage town leaders to find new, and residents to support, new sources of revenue to help ease the budgetary burdens we have faced and will face for years to come.

Parents and residents expect strong academic outcomes while also calling for equitable access to programs and supports across the district. What metrics or indicators should the School Committee use to evaluate whether APS is succeeding academically and equitably — and what actions should follow if the district is not meeting those benchmarks?

Many parents and community members have stated that Andover is “slipping” in rankings. Others feel that the district is performing great. Why the two points of view? Measurement! Andover Schools cannot assess and improve without properly measuring. It’s about data-driven accountability and process optimization.

We need to work with the new superintendent to define the framework that works for Andover to measure the district’s access and performance. From an access perspective, the framework should audit enrollment in Advanced Placement, Honors, and STEM and SPED programs alike to ensure that the enrollment is proportional to the total student body and resources are targeted to ensure all students across the learning spectrum succeed. Access also needs to include resource allocation per building. We need to ensure financial and human capital and are distributed by need and not just by headcount.

From a performance perspective, looking at Student Growth Percentiles and not just test scores should be performed at regular intervals, not just once per year. The next superintendent will need to implement the process to ensure we are getting ahead of areas of concern.

What differentiates you from your opponent?

My independent approach to fiscal responsibility, transparency, and student-centered priorities, strong relationships with existing school and town officials, and patience and open mindedness to work collaboratively to address issues. I have been involved in a variety of different committees in Andover, but have no financial ties or conflicts of interest that would prohibit me from fully engaging in the activities of the School Committee without undue influence. The discourse in Andover has been far too divisive.

I always approach public discourse with respect and willingness to listen to all points of view. In my approach to my candidacy, I have actively reached out to many town leaders, voters, educators, and employees with various points of view, not just those that share mine, to facilitate healthy and respectful discourse. I think the way you conduct yourself in public and in private, as well as how you speak to and treat others, is a litmus test for a good leader. You can observe my consistent public input at many school committee meetings and other meetings. I think the way leaders behave, especially under pressure or public criticism, is as important as the policies they support.

I have been actively involved with the school in town for years, well before I decided to run for public office. In addition to volunteering to serve on committees and councils, I am proactive with meeting with decision makers and the community to ensure our students have the best education possible. I consistently vote at Town meetings and volunteer my time, always in support of kids in Andover.

Please tell us about anything else voters should know about you or your campaign

In addition to addressing the annual budget deficit, we need a new approach to the long-range financial plan for the town. We need to ensure that the school district gets the funding needed to avoid cuts and plan for increasing enrollment. I have collaborated with school administration as well as the town manager’s office on these issues before.

One area that has not been addressed in this profile, is the need for communication and transparency. Whether it is the budget or the AHS Improvement Project, we need an informed town. My experience presenting to different types of stakeholders will help ensure we have fact-based decision making and effective collaboration across students, parents, administrators, and the community as a whole.

Do you support the scaled-back interim plan for Andover High School, or do you believe the town should pursue new construction or a larger renovation now — and why?

We need a comprehensive plan for Andover High School. Any plan should include a new building. As for when and how to pay for it, we should be working now to get into the MSBA program to secure state aid in the process. The interim options are not fully developed. There is no education plan associated with any of the options. Spending $80M on an addition, furniture, and security upgrades is not a good use of our taxes, . eEspecially when the addition does not address enough of the deficiencies with the current building. We do need an option to keep the building rfunning and help our current students. Allocating funds to upgrade security, improve furniture, and maintain current building systems makes the most sense. It is fiscally responsible and will have an immediate, positive impact on the day-to-day experience of our students at AHS, while giving us flexibility to pursue a long-term plan without locking us into substantial spending that tax payers will not support. Moving forward, maintenance and reasonable upgrades to AHS must be built into the CIP (Capital Improvement Plan), while we pursue the most responsible way to replace AHS longer term.

Would you protect student facing positions?

Yes, we need to work within the budget to maintain staffing and deliver quality programs.

Do you have any personal conflicts that would require you to recuse yourself from the responsibilities of the office you seek?

What is your experience with superintendent search /hiring, building/addition of schools, collective bargaining and time spent within the classroom and administration .

The last time I served on a superintendent search committee was 30 years ago as a student representative in 1995. As an engaged parent, I have been in the classrooms in a volunteer capacity. I have served on committees and worked closely with school administration on key initiatives. While I have served in many capacities, I have most recently been particularly engaged around school building projects. I was involved in the Yes to WESP campaign that successfully secured funding for our incredible West Elementary/Shawsheen Preschool building. I have been a regular attendee at AHS Building Committee meetings, Permanent Town Building Advisory Committee meetings, and School Committee meetings to listen, learn, and share my thoughts about school building projects.

In these capacities, I provide a different perspective to these topics. I bring a point of view as a current parent and business executive to develop creative approaches to these issues

I’m also interested in their business experience. We have some very big issues that the school committee needs to be addressing and we need someone that has prior experience with these issues.

As I described in my current job,

My day-to-day work directly translates to the School Committee through:

Expert Contract Negotiation: Ironclad is the leader in digital contracting. I spend my career navigating multi-million dollar negotiations and complex legal workflows. I will bring this 'pro-level' experience to the table during collective bargaining and vendor discussions to ensure our district gets the best possible terms.
Stakeholder Alignment: I am an expert at building consensus among diverse 'buying committees'—from IT and Finance to Legal and End-users. I will apply this same discipline to bridge the gap between parents, teachers, and administrators.
Fiscal Strategy: I help companies move from 'spending' to 'investing.' I will apply that same lens to our school budget, ensuring every dollar is tied to a measurable return on student achievement and operational efficiency.

I’m not just running to join a committee; I’m running to bring professional-grade strategy and negotiation to the leadership of our schools

Can you describe your contributions to education in Andover in the last 3 years, including school committee meeting attendance, volunteerism in a school, service on a school-related board, committee or council addressing the school budget crisis, informal forums, meetings with school staff, administration or superintendents, school building projects or education policy advisory? Please be specific.

I have been a very active volunteer and educated voter since moving to Andover 13 years ago. The following is not an exhaustive list but some highlights my involvement over the past 3 years.

I attend most School Committee meetings in person and watch all that I cannot attend live. I also have closely followed the building committee meetings related to AHS building and the interim plan for AHS, attending many meetings and sharing public input whenever the opportunity presents.
Served on and attended all meetings for the Budget Advisory Council in 2024-2025.
Served on and attended all meetings for the Redistricting Advisory Council in 2024-2026.
In addition to council meetings, I spoke before the School Committee and at public forums on these topics to educate the committee and the public.
I have spoken at Select Board meetings to advocate for progress on the AHS Interim project.
I have met with town and school administration to discuss many relevant issues including budget to ensure the schools have the appropriate funds.
Served on a committee at West Middle School to assist Principal Corkery with an international school trip.
I attend all town meetings and vote in each of the town elections.