Patch Candidate Profile: Mark Shaner, Wilton Board Of Education

WILTON, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Wilton and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Wilton Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Mark Shaner, 48, is running for a seat on the Wilton Board of Education. He has a Bachelor's of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland, and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Shaner began his career as a design engineer at Sikorsky, and later worked for a hedge fund, and as a management consultant. For the past two years, he has served as VP of Insurance Operations and Strategy for a cybersecurity insurance startup.

Shaner is unaffiliated with any party, running on the Republican ticket.

Do you have a family?

My wife Danielle is a teacher at Middlebrook School in Wilton. We have two children in Wilton schools (a freshman in the high school and a 7th grader at Middlebrook).

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My wife Danielle is employed by Wilton Public Schools

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

No

First, why are you seeking this office?

I believe in being an engaged member of my community and, because Education has always been an important topic in our home (my wife’s a teacher and I previously served on the board of a school in NYC), running for the Board of Education is a great fit. My experience in data analytics will add a useful perspective to the Board. I will increase transparency and accountability for our schools and ensure we make evidence-based decisions that move us beyond partisanship and towards a focus on what’s best for the town and our students.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Trust. When we send our children to school, we trust that the educators and administrators are working hard to ensure the best outcome for our students on a daily basis, and when we elect people to serve on the Board of Education, we trust that they will think about what's best for the community and our students when they set policy and oversee curriculum. I will increase trust in the institution through increased transparency; we'll move away from partisan politics and off-the-record sessions and work with school administration to open up the decision making process for more public involvement. When people have more trust in the system, they can spend more time helping to build better schools and less time worrying about whether their children are being underserved.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have a strong tech background, know how to use data and evidence to drive decisions, and am comfortable operating transparently.

I began my career as an Aerospace Engineer, have led teams of analysts applying advanced statistical methods, and currently work for a cybersecurity insurance company. In the past, I also worked at Bridgewater Associates, a company known for practicing "radical transparency".
As Wilton continues to evolve its STEM curricula, I believe my background will prove helpful.
Finally, because I'm unaffiliated with major political parties, because I emphasize objective, data-driven decision making, and because I will focus on creating a more open and transparent Board of Education, I will increase trust and reduce partisanship in the Board.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

More transparency, less partisanship, and more trust. Together, these goals should make the Board more focused on what's best for the town and our students. They should also increase the Board's productivity so that Board's deliberations can become more substantive and deliver results for the town.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have designed and served on boards in commercial and non-profit settings: I previously served on the board of The Epiphany School Foundation in NYC. I've consulted to CEOs on board and governance design and led the design of a corporate board for a new insurance company.
I also know how to build decision processes and support systems to improve the quality of decision making and ensure decisions are more evidence based: I led efforts at multiple companies that successfully designed, built, and implemented data-based decision support systems for executive teams and boards of directors.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Do the hard things and stay humble. I've heard variations on this from many people, but it always resonates. The things you're afraid of are usually the most important or scary things and they're worth it. And because they're hard, you're probably going to need help, you'll probably fail in some way. But if you keep challenging yourself, keep learning from others from your failures, you'll make a difference. Groups of people doing difficult things together are what change the world.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I've always been the kind of person who gets involved in my community. Since moving to Wilton in 2015, I've gotten involved through the Wilton Soccer Association and Wilton CERT. The pandemic and the shift to more online interaction created an opportunity for me to get involved in new ways since it meant I could do my work from home. I hope you'll give me the chance to serve the town on the Board of Education and bring my unique background (a combination of my experiences and the perspective I have from being married to a Wilton teacher) to the position.