About Max
Public schools changed the course of my life. I’m running so every Osseo student gets that chance.
The decisions made by a school board are not abstract. They shape whether a teacher has time to reach a struggling student, whether families can understand what is happening in their schools, and whether students graduate ready for what comes next.
Public education gave me confidence, purpose, and a path forward. Teachers helped me see potential in myself before I could fully see it on my own.
That is why this work is personal to me: every student deserves adults who notice them, challenge them, and help them believe their future is bigger than any one hard day.
Public education roots
My roots in public education
I grew up in Brooklyn Park and New Brighton, attending public schools in both the Anoka-Hennepin and Mounds View school districts. Like many students, my path was shaped by more than academics. It was shaped by educators who saw something in me and helped bring it forward.
Education has always been part of my family’s story. My grandmother was a third-grade public school teacher, and my mother worked as a parent educator, helping families support their children’s learning and development. Their example gave me an early respect for the people who do the daily work of helping children grow.
I still remember the teachers who changed what I thought was possible: a creative writing teacher who pushed me to think more deeply, a pre-calculus teacher who made a difficult subject feel approachable through humor, and a choir teacher who helped me find my voice.
Those teachers did more than teach a subject. They made school feel like a place where I could grow. That experience is why I believe school board decisions should always come back to the classroom: what helps students learn, what helps teachers teach, and what helps families know their children are in good hands.
Local commitment
Why Osseo Area Schools
My husband Chris and I chose to make our forever home in the Osseo Area School District because this community felt like the place where we wanted to build our future.
As a resident and taxpayer, I care about how our schools use public resources. As a neighbor, I care about what those choices mean for children, families, and educators across our district.
Before becoming a software engineer, I worked on-site with school districts across the country through a K–12 administrative software company. Later, while going back to school for software engineering, I worked for Wayzata Public Schools in their technology department, assisting with state reporting needs and a student information system migration.
Those experiences gave me a firsthand look at how much work it takes to run a school system well. A district depends on people who are often outside the spotlight: teachers, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, office staff, technology teams, administrators, and building leaders.
Good leadership honors that work by asking clear questions, making careful decisions, and remembering who those decisions are for.
Showing up
Listening before leading
My decision to run for school board did not happen overnight.
In 2024, I started regularly attending school board meetings and reviewing past discussions to better understand how decisions were being made and how they were affecting students, families, and educators.
What concerned me was not disagreement. Public schools will always involve hard conversations. What concerned me was when board discussions drifted away from the questions families need answered: Are students learning? Are teachers able to do their jobs well? Are schools safe and welcoming? Are we spending limited dollars in ways that actually improve students’ lives?
At a certain point, listening from the audience was not enough.
Speaking publicly for the first time was intimidating. But I believed the stakes were too important to stay silent. Since then, I have continued to show up, learn, and engage with people across our community, including people who see things differently than I do.
That is the leadership I want to bring to the board: steady, respectful, and willing to ask the practical question that matters most — will this help students?
Practical problem solving
Professional experience & problem solving
Professionally, I work as a software engineer for a locally grown e-commerce platform, where I help organizations solve complex problems by connecting data, people, and real-world needs.
My work often involves making sense of complicated information, leading trainings and workshops, supporting large-scale projects, and helping teams move forward under tight timelines.
That experience translates directly to school board service.
Budgets, policies, student data, and technology decisions can look technical on paper, but they have real consequences for classrooms. I will bring a practical approach: ask clear questions, look at evidence, listen to the people closest to the work, and measure whether decisions are making a difference for students.
What guides me
What I believe
- 01
Every student deserves a school where they are safe, challenged, known by name, and prepared for life after graduation.
- 02
Families deserve clear information about budgets, policy choices, and student progress, not jargon or surprises.
- 03
Educators deserve respect, collaboration time, and the tools to meet students’ needs.
- 04
School board members should evaluate whether programs and initiatives are actually improving outcomes, not just whether they sound promising.
- 05
Respectful disagreement is part of public service. The board’s responsibility is to keep students’ real lives at the center of every decision.
That is the kind of leadership I will bring: calm, prepared, practical, and grounded in what our students and schools need.
Outside the boardroom
Life outside the boardroom
Outside of work, Chris and I love getting outside, whether that’s backpacking, camping, or traveling whenever we get the chance. We share our home with Valkyrie, our outgoing tabby cat, and Boogle, our mischievous miniature schnauzer who definitely thinks he runs the house.
I’m also a big trivia nerd. I regularly compete in marathon trivia events that bring teams together from across Minnesota and beyond. Some of them last more than 50 hours straight!
It might sound a little intense, but for me it’s just fun. I love the teamwork, the problem-solving, and the shared energy of working toward something together, even if that something is remembering a random fact at 3 a.m.
Join us
I’m running because school board decisions do not stay in boardrooms. They show up in classrooms — in the time teachers have, the clarity families receive, and the confidence students carry into what comes next.
Osseo students deserve leadership that treats those decisions with care, honesty, and urgency. I would be honored to earn your support.