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Stacie Belfrom (LA’98) is a school board member
for Kings Local School District in Ohio.
For Stacie Belfrom, the idea initially felt like an easy sell: Parents
shouldn’t drop their kids off at school, and all students should take the bus.
But then he saw the eye-popping numbers: running a single bus route cost
the district more than $60,000 per academic year. “When you want to make
changes in one place, you have to understand the ripple effect in others,” he
explains. “One of the biggest challenges of this job is making sure you have a
clear view of everything.”
Prepandemic, Belfrom and his colleagues on the school board in Kings
Mills, Ohio, were focused on things like diversity, professional development,
and a community learning series — parent-focused topics like how TikTok
works and issues related to drugs, alcohol, and vaping.
COVID-19, however, has since taken over nearly every conversation, and
keeping tabs on all the moving pieces remains essential, says Belfrom.
“We’ve got people who think we should be able to go back now with no
restrictions and people who say they won’t send their kids back until there’s
a vaccine. We have staff members concerned about themselves and their
families and advice from the CDC and the governor. And we’ve got state
budget cuts, too,” he says.
Daunting? Sure. But he wouldn’t change a thing. “It’s a privilege to listen to
our community, to bring up concerns with my colleagues and administration,
and do the things that can help move us in a better direction,” Belfrom says.
“I welcome the challenge.”
Did you know?
How he gets it done: “There’s so much energy for change right now — the
important thing is focusing that energy into being intentional and using
the government to do that. The goal is to create change that can really work
for everyone.”
Two Boilermakers were tapped by President Donald Trump
to serve in under secretary posts within his administration.
F RO M TOP : J E R E M Y KR A ME R ; P H OTOS P ROV IDE D
KEITH KRACH (IE’79, HDR IE’18)
Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy,
and the Environment | US Department of State
In his testimony before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee on May 5, 2019, Krach shared
his motivation to serve: “I think we all want to
leave and preserve the health of our planet for
our children and our grandchildren.”
TED MCKINNEY (A’81)
Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural
Affairs | US Department of Agriculture
Successful Farming reported that McKinney’s
personal credo is that “more than halfway to
winning the battle is just showing up.” Respect
your partners, create lasting relationships that
are balanced in both directions.
PUR D U E A LU MN I . O RG
PLAY TO YOUR
STRENGTHS
Lynne Brown (HHS’70, MS HHS’72, PhD
HHS’81) is chair of the city of San Jose,
California, Arts Commission and part of
its public art committee, which has supported art-based initiatives across the
city, including one that commissioned
local artists to brighten major city underpasses with unique art installations.
She says it’s time for more people
to step up and share their expertise in
civic roles. “When you find what you’re
passionate about, start thinking about all
the times you’ve said to yourself, ‘Golly, I
wish these people understood something
that I do — budgeting, marketing, development, insurance, facilities.’ You can
become that bridge for them.”
FA L L 2020
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