Responses for The Daily Page
January 22, 2006
Arlene Silveira
Candidate for Madison School
Board, Seat 1
516-8981
What strengths would you
bring to the school board if you were elected this spring?
I am Director of Marketing
for Promega Corporation, with experience as a budget planner, facilitator,
negotiator and project manager. I have hands-on budget experience. I actively
manage cross-functional project teams, which requires skill in prioritization
and communication to be effective. In Marketing I have developed the ability to
communicate complex matters simply and the ability of determining the true need
of a customer before making a decision that affects them. I will use my business training to keep an
eye on the Board and administration to ensure we are asking questions and
evaluating processes as continual improvement is necessary if we want to be a
competitive school district.
A parent of an 8th grader,
I’ve been an active participant in Madison public schools for 9 years. I
am president of Cherokee Middle School’s PTO, and past president of
Leopold Elementary School’s PFO. I have direct knowledge of elementary
and middle school activities and will have a daughter in high school next year.
My extensive involvement at such diverse schools has helped me to gain valuable
insight into the differing needs of schools, parents, teachers and students. I
have learned the importance of communicating in multiple languages and in
multiple formats.
Civic involvement includes
working with Madison Foundation for Public Schools and as a steering team
member of Madison CARES, the community-based pro-referenda support group. I have been an activist at Board of Education
meetings for years and currently serve on the MMSD West/Memorial
Demographics Task Force. This experience has given me insight into how the
Board, Administration and public work and what needs to be changed in order to
improve communication.
I have a MS in molecular biology and a BS in biology, chemistry
and secondary education. I will use my scientific analysis skills to
analyze the current budget and trends to evaluate possible options and
efficiencies in spending.
Who was your favorite teacher when you were a student, and how did he or she shape you?
Although I had many good teachers throughout my education, there was one teacher who stands out. Her name is Terry Dougall and she was my biology teacher when I was a sophomore in high school. In thinking back, the biggest influence she had on my life was fostering my love of science. Growing up I always had an interest in science but “back then” females were discouraged from pursuing careers in science. Mrs. Dougall made science relevant, fun and interesting. She encouraged participation and challenged each of us. Sophomore biology was such a positive experience for me that I pursued both undergraduate and graduate degrees in science and have worked for science-based companies for my entire professional life. Beyond the science aspect, she was a teacher who made a difference because she respected the students and, as a result, we respected her. She was accessible and took the time to know each of her students as individuals. Together this fostered communication and led to creative interchanges in the classroom. I felt safe knowing that whatever I said aloud would be accepted and discussed even if it was not the correct answer. Through my interactions with Mrs. Dougall, I realized how important teachers are in a student’s life; the value of a role model. This positive relationship fostered my appreciation of education and my understanding of how important the schools are in shaping a child’s future.