Education is an Engine of Opportunity

Learning fuels mobility, strengthens families, supports innovation, and belongs to everyone — not just the young, not just the affluent, and not just one institutional pathway.

I have spent my life in education — from teaching high school mathematics in Hawaii to facilitating higher educational course work in the United States, China, Taiwan, Ghana, India, and Ukraine.  For more than a decade I served as a tenured business professor at one of our amazing Illinois community colleges.

My lived experience has shown me that higher education is core to societal success. 

Four-year institutions matter. Private colleges are impactful. Research universities are critical. And America’s community college system is one of the most powerful and underappreciated mobility engines in the world. 

The American educational system is one of our biggest strengths in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.  We should leverage that strength, encourage higher education and vocational pathways equally and encourage international student participation at every level.   

America is a respected global leader in higher education and academic research, but no pathway is superior. Every profession, every path contributes to our collective success and pursuit of happiness. 

Diverse learning populations deliver better on communication skill development, global literacy, and the increased competition delivered through global enrollment elevates our learning outcomes.

My Federal Focus

• Protect and strengthen federal support for higher education
• Support and strengthen community college pathways
• Encourage international student enrollment
• Support workforce-aligned program development
• Promote respect for diverse post-secondary pathways
• Expand dual language programming in K-12 public schools
• Boost equalizing investments in economically disadvantaged public-school systems

Bottom Line:  Accessible Education. Diverse Learning Populations. Goals Aligned with Purpose — Not Prestige.