Hi, I'm Victor, and I'm enthusiastically running for the Newton School Committee (Ward 8). I would love your support!
I offer Newton the unique aspect of an experienced leader who:
- understands education leadership at the highest, strategic levels;
- knows how to create and manage sound, sustainable budgets;
- brings insights from the top research and evidence bases for education; and
- has insider knowledge of how to identify and select a quality, effective curriculum.
These skills are so relevant today given NPS's multi-year strategic plan implementation underway, current budget challenges and structural deficit, and long overdue curriculum update and review. I am also an independent thinker, beholden to no slate of candidates or organization - only you, my fellow Newtonians; I thus can always center decisions on student outcomes and what is best for our children.
More About Victor
Newton Native
I grew up in Newton and have spent the better part of the past 40+ years residing in Ward 8. Newton is my beloved hometown, and its crown jewel is our well-regarded public school system. Ensuring our public schools are not just excellent, but best-in-class, properly funded, academically rigorous, and able to ensure every child can thrive and reach their full potential is a top priority for me. As the parents of two wonderful daughters in fifth grade and kindergarten - one of whom is neurodivergent, my wife and I also know how important Special Education is and the indispensability of a supportive learning environment where children truly feel they belong.
Values Quality Education
The value of quality education is something my family holds dear. My father is a retired professor, and my mother was instrumental in helping me learn to become one of the top youth violinists in the US. I have also been blessed with the privilege of attending some of the best educational institutions in the world. I hold a Bachelor's magna cum laude in Government from Harvard University, an MBA with Honors from The Wharton School, and am currently a Doctoral Candidate in Education Leadership at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, where I have access to some of the most cutting-edge research and brightest minds in education - assets I would leverage for the benefit of the Newton Public Schools (NPS).
I also understand what it takes to be an effective and quality instructor having taught classes at The Wharton School at both general and honors levels and receiving from my students some of the highest ratings the school has ever seen.
Education Leadership Expertise
Education is also important to me professionally. I currently serve as Superintendent Fellow of the Arlington Public Schools, an experience that has honed my understanding and appreciation for what it takes to lead an excellent school district, how to construct a viable budget, and what can be accomplished when a school committee, district leadership, and the union can work in harmony in service of students. Additionally, I spent most of the past decade at HMH, one of the foremost K-12 educational technology organizations, in senior leadership/executive roles where I drove strategy, operations, finance, and budgeting for some of the best curriculum, assessment, professional development, and educational AI solutions in the world. I also learned how instructional materials and solutions were best implemented in districts all over the United States.
Not Limited to Education for Inspiration
I also appreciate and understand the world outside of education - and know what it can offer for innovative ideas and other perspectives. Prior to HMH, I spent a decade in various leadership roles in business with expertise in strategy, data analysis, financial management, innovation, and negotiation at startups and Fortune 10 companies in technology, media, healthcare, financial services, and retail.
Extensive Experience on Boards and in Community Service
In addition to the above, I have robust experience on multiple Boards, including service as the Chairman of edtech's leading industry association providing guidance to Congress. Community service and leadership is also a very important part of my life. I have, for example, directed disaster response and emergency shelter teams with the American Red Cross and served as the Concertmaster (lead musician and mentor) of multiple local community orchestras including Newton's own beloved New Philharmonia Orchestra and the MIT Summer Philharmonic Orchestra. I also have been a coach for the youth of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, several members of whom hail from Newton. Continuing this legacy of service with the Newton School Committee would be a true honor!