Please Vote for Your 2016-2017 PTO Board Return this ballot to the school office or you may vote online Deadline: Wednesday, April 13 President: Deborah Poling Secretary: Robin Guffrey or Jennifer Sliva Treasurer: Bianca Sillers or Bart Zygmond VP Social: VP Education: Co-VPs Volunteers: Co-VPs Fundraising: Daniel Sosa Elaine Hoffman Joanne Cooling & Christine Stine Jennifer Longo & Christina Bues Biographies of all candidates and an online voting webform are available on the school website and in ParentsWeb/Resource Documents. Although several positions are unopposed, please vote for one only in the secretary and treasurer election.
Deborah Poling Candidate for President Hello. My name is Deborah Poling and I have been nominated for the position of President for the upcoming 2016-2017 PTO board. My son, Connor is currently in the 7 th grade at St. Michael School and my son, David is a junior in high school. My husband, Dave and I have been married for 18 years and love our new home in Cary. This has been our first year at Saint Michael School and I have enjoyed volunteering with various events as well as helping co-chair Trunk-Or-Treat and being a room parent in Connor s class. Prior to 2014, we were living in Germany for four years. Our boys attended The International School of Neustadt where I was quite active with volunteering in and out of the classroom and was president of the PTA for the 2013-2014 school year. I look forward to the opportunity of serving you at this wonderful school. Thank you, in advance, for your consideration.
Jennifer Sliva Candidate for Secretary I was born and raised in a Catholic family and attended a Catholic elementary school from Kindergarten through 7th grade. My husband and I were married at St, Michael Church in 2005. All five of our children have been baptized at St Michael's. We have been part of the St Michael school community since my oldest daughter started there with Kindergarten. Next year will be our 6th year at St Michael School. Currently, 3 out of our 5 children go to St. Michaels. I also have one at the St. Michael Preschool (formerly the ECC) and one little one at home. So as you can see, St Michael School and Parish are extremely important to me and my family. I am always looking for ways to help the school community. This is my third year being a room parent. This past year I co-chaired the book fair. I have also volunteered each year with shelving in the library and always volunteer for field trip chaperones, class helpers, mystery readers, etc... I would love the opportunity to be on the St Michael PTO Board next year so I can continue to support both our teachers and parents.
Robin Guffrey Candidate for Secretary My name is Robin Guffrey. I was born and raised in Lakeland, Fla. and moved to Raleigh the first time in 2001, where I met my husband, Erik. He and I subsequently spent two years in Colorado, and five years in Wilmington. Our family moved back to Cary in 2012 and have loved being a part of St. Michael's Parish ever since!! We have three beautiful children, Madeline (7), Jackson (5) and Benjamin (9 mos). Madeline is a rising third grader, and Jack will start Kindergarten at StMS in the fall. I am currently a stay-at-home mom, and love every minute of it. Before starting a family, I spent several years in retail management. I hope to open another store in a few years when Ben starts at StMS. I am regularly active within StMS through our children's classrooms. I look forward to this wonderful opportunity to serve the larger StMS community as PTO Secretary.
Bianca Sillers Candidate for Treasurer My name is Bianca Sillers and I am very excited to be running for the position of Treasurer for the 2016/17 PTO school board. My family and I joined the St. Michael School community in January of 2014. My son, Andrew, is in pre-k this year and my daughter, Bella, is in 2nd grade. I have enjoyed being an StMS parent and getting to know other families as well as our wonderful teachers and staff! I love being part of the school community and volunteering my time and talent. During the time I have been at StMS, I have had the opportunity to serve in several different capacities including being a room parent for my son's pre-k class, being on the 2016 "Lights/Camera/Auction" Gala committee, serving on the 2015 teacher appreciation week and Casino Night committees. My husband, Matt, works at SAS and I work at IBM. As part of my IT management responsibilities at IBM, I am responsible to implement IT projects on time and on budget. I would love the opportunity to use my skills to continue to serve the StMS community as a PTO board member!
Bart Zygmond Candidate for Treasurer I currently serve as the Corporate Controller for Worldwide Clinical Trials (WCT), having held this position since 2013. Prior to working with WCT, I held various finance, accounting and consulting roles, also having worked for companies such as Caterpillar and Ernst & Young. In these career experiences, I have worked with and for both small and large companies to implement and maintain strong systems of internal control, process efficiencies and centers of excellence over financial and operational reporting. Since moving to Cary with my family, we have become settled into the community at large, as well as specifically with St. Michael School. My wife Jenifer and I have three children attending St. Michael, in each the fourth, third and first grade classes. Every day we see the great work product of St. Michael, and the education and nurturing of our children is of paramount importance to both my wife and me. I believe a Board member s first responsibility, especially in the treasurer s capacity, should be absolute transparent and accurate reporting of the entity s finances and operations. I am an active CPA, and have held membership roles in the past with the Nevada Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. With Caterpillar I attained Six Sigma Green Belt certification. I have also participated in and led numerous training and educational seminars, covering topics such as fraud, corporate malfeasance and financial and operational reporting. My hobbies include baseball, gardening and as time allows, traveling. I am currently a Bronco baseball coach in the Town of Cary, and have coached numerous little league teams over the past 24 years.
Elaine Hoffman, PhD Candidate for VP Education Elaine Hoffman, PhD is a Director of Data Analytics and Design Strategy at RTI-HS. She graduated from Miami University with a BS in Mathematics and Statistics and went on to receive her PhD in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1998. Elaine has held faculty appointments at UNC-CH and Harvard Medical School. Elaine has three children, Andrew (15), Owen (12) and Nathan (10). Nathan is a current a 4 th grader at St. Michael s. She is involved with her boys educational experiences including everything from being a classroom parent and field trip chaperon to being a member of the first school council at East School in Hingham, MA from 2009-2012. In this latter role, she was one of three parent representatives that developed the East School strategic plan and core value statements (Academic Growth, Personal Growth, Kindness and Respect, and Community). In 2011, Elaine also was a member of a subcommittee of The Master Review Committee that was tasked to identify the condition and capacity of existing school facilities and evaluate remedial options in the town of Hingham, MA. This committee presented information and costs estimates for repairs and renovations for the overcrowded middle school to the Hingham Education Committee. As part of this committee, Elaine met with a MA congressman and state education representatives to gain local and state support to build a new middle school. The new Hingham Middle School opened in Fall 2014. Education has always been and will continue to be a priority for Elaine and her family.
Daniel Sosa Candidate for VP of Social PTO Nominee: VP of Social Father of Sophia (3 rd grade), Isabella (KG) & Gianna Sosa (enrolled for Pre-K 2016/17) Married to Stephanie Sosa for 11 years (also volunteered for this role) Originally from Miami. Son of Cuban immigrants. Moved to this community 3 years ago and LOVE IT! B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a MBA; worked my entire career with GE Current role: Global Product Manager My day-to-day activities at GE are centered on managing the global strategy of my product portfolio. This includes, but is not limited to, forming business strategies, obtaining investment for new products, driving market share growth, ensuring profitability, etc.
Joanne Cooling Co-VP Volunteers Candidate Joanne Cooling was born in Upstate New York and has been a part of St. Michael for the past two years. She has been married to Kevin for the past 16 years and they have three boys at St. Michael School (Griffin in 7 th, Trevor in 4 th and Jackson in 3 rd ). Joanne has volunteered at several events over the past two years and is currently a co-chair for the StMS St. Nick Shop, a school-wide event held every December. Joanne is passionate about St. Michael and wants to encourage other families to support and become involved in the different school events for the StMS staff and our children. She wants to personally give back to the school community by serving on the 2016-17 school year PTO as co-vp of Volunteers with Christine Stine. Thank you for your support! Christine Stine Co-VP Volunteers Candidate Christine has been a member of St. Michael s parish for three years. She is married to Jimmy who became Catholic two years ago here at St. Michael Church. Together they have two children, Abigail, 5, in Mrs. Sonday s Kindergarten class, and James, 4 months old. For the past two years she and her husband have served in the Hospitality Ministry, while also volunteering at many PTO events, including co-chair for Catholic Schools Week. After taking part in so many PTO events this past year she has seen how so many amazing things are done with remarkable people and wants to help with in a more active role. It's such a good feeling to give back to the St. Michael community, who has given us so much!
Jennifer Longo: Co-VP Fundraising Jennifer and her husband, Louie, moved from New York to Cary in 2013. They are proud parents of two boys: Brady, a third grader, and Brett, a Kindergartener. Jennifer has spent her professional career in the pharmaceutical and beauty industries where she has worked in sales and human resources in the areas of talent management, training and development and recruitment. During her career she has been recognized for being a strong project manager and an innovative problem solver. Jennifer grew up outside of Boston, MA, graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor s degree in Nursing and has an MBA in Human Resources from Pace University. Jennifer and her family enjoy spending time at the beach, bike riding, watching baseball and playing board games. Jennifer feels so blessed and fortunate to be part of the St. Michael family. She recognizes the important role the PTO has in providing support to the students, teachers and staff and would love the opportunity to serve as a PTO Board Officer. Christina Bues - Co-VP Fundraising Christina and her husband Philip moved to Preston in 2012 along with their two children, Matthew, who is a freshman at Cardinal Gibbons High School, and Grace, who is a current 3rd grader at St Michael's. Christina has a BA in Communications from State University of New York at Albany. Her background includes broadcast production, marketing, sales, communications, and consulting. Christina spends most of her free time volunteering at the schools and has at various times been room parent, team parent, Troop Outing coordinator, Faith Formation teacher, Leadership program coordinator, cheer coach, events leader, as well a vast assortment of other volunteer roles. Christina is enjoying her first year as part of the St. Michael's school community and looks forward to helping the fundraising committee meet the goals set by the PTO and the school administration.