Editor’s note: This statement was provided by school board candidate Theresa Mohan. The Pelham Examiner publishes statements in the form received as a service to the community.

Dear Pelham Residents,

My name is Theresa Mohan, and I am very honored and excited to be running for the Pelham Board of Education. I am eager to build on my years of service in Pelham by bringing a balanced, thoughtful, creative, and pragmatic approach to serve our community as a member of the Board and I feel uniquely qualified as a candidate to address head on the important challenges facing our children and schools today.

Family and School Experience

My husband, Peter Moskowitz, and I have been Pelham residents for over 20 years and have 4 children. Our older daughters, Maggie and Katie Moskowitz, both attended Hutchinson Elementary, PMS and PMHS (PMHS Class of ’12 and ’14) and graduating thereafter from Colgate University. My younger daughters’ Jamie and Erin Moskowitz attended Colonial Elementary, PMS and are currently freshmen at PMHS (Class of ‘25).

Community Service Leadership

My first experience as a leader in our community was as a Co-President of the Hutchinson School PTA. The inspiration I felt being a member and leader of the Hutchinson Community propelled me to further community service, including serving two terms as an elected Trustee of the Village of Pelham. As a Village Trustee, I was honored to take on challenging issues faced by our community members and came to learn how to listen and solve the problems presented by building consensus and coalition. I have also served as a member of our district-wide PTA Council, the Site Based Committee at Colonial, and as Coordinator of OLPH- St. Catherine’s CYO basketball.

Professional Experience

As a lawyer and former General Counsel and Chief Human Resources Officer of several global (5,000-15,000 people) companies, I believe the skills I have developed over my 30+ year career in the technology sector would be an asset for our community. I have spent years in corporate boardrooms advising Boards of Directors and have myself served as a Board Member of ShelterBox, an international disaster relief charity that provides emergency shelter and other aid items to families globally who are suffering the effects of disaster or conflict. I am currently an adjunct law professor at my alma mater Fordham Law School.

I stand for Innovation and Accountability:

• Academic Excellence. It’s easy to say academic excellence but what does that mean?  To me it means making sure we are on the forefront of the future of education.  Successful programs like Science Research at PMHS need to be replicated and encouraged across curriculums and schools. There is no question our students need to be prepared for the next step of their journeys and many are, but what can we do to make sure they are all prepared for the next 10 steps?
• Emotional Resilience. As a parent of 4 children, I know at the end of the day a key part of my job is to build resilience. We are coming out of a singular point in human history that has had an emotional impact on us all, especially our children. How can we further develop and support their resilience? How can we make sure their emotional needs in school are being met?  Pelham should become the school district to be emulated because of its programs on mental health.
• The role of a board member is to set the strategy and hold the administration accountable. We have an extremely talented group of leaders in our schools. What can we do to encourage them to achieve success as we collectively define it and hold them accountable in a professional and responsible way if they don’t?
• We are facing a talent crisis in our schools. Over 50% of our staff will be retirement eligible in the next five (5) years creating a serious talent gap for us. Who will fill their shoes when they do retire? We need to be profoundly grateful for the commitment of all who work in our schools and we want to attract the best talent, which takes showcasing our community as the forefront of appreciation and innovation.

I am deeply appreciative of your consideration as a candidate. I am also very appreciative of the fact that five other members of our community are seeking election, as I feel fortunate to live in a community where people so willingly put themselves forward.

I am passionate about our schools and seek to serve as a Board member to apply my experience and contribute to the best possible future for our children and community.

Sincerely,

Theresa Mohan