Andover Candidate Profile: Amy Hafensteiner For School Committee

ANDOVER, MA — Andover will have several contested races in the March 24 town election, including contested races for School Committee, Select Board and town moderator. Andover Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Amy Hafensteiner, 35, is running for election to the School Committee. There are two other candidates: Shishan Wang and Lauren Conoscenti. Hafensteiner is the head of talent acquisition for a biotech firm. She and her husband have three kids, two at Andover Public Schools.

Are you running for office in Andover? Contact Christopher Huffaker at chris.huffaker@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Andover Patch.

Previously on Patch: Ten File To Run In 2020 Andover Town Election

Amy Hafensteiner

Age (as of Election Day)

35

Position Sought

Andover School Committee

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Jacob Hafensteiner, 36; Noah (7), Tanner (6), Xander (3) Hafensteiner; Noah is in 2nd grade and Tanner K at West Elementary. Xander is in preschool at Temple Emanuel Preschool

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education

BS in Journalism from Northeastern University

Occupation

Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Quanterix (biotech); 10+ yrs of experience

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

none

Campaign website

www.AmyForALL.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am seeking office because I see some gaps on our current School Committee. We do not have a hiring expert that can help with the hiring strategy, nor conducting diverse and inclusive hiring practices. I see a gap of teachers, parents, and students' voices. I see a gap in elementary and preschool family representation. Lastly, I see negative tones that are damaging to our community and that will result in a lack of collaboration.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Budget priorities; I intend to listen to our constituents and hold the superintendent accountable for prioritizing the needs of our community above spending on things that are NOT priorities to our school community.

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

I have a fresh perspective and fresh ideas. I am not affiliated with any of the current members on the school committee, therefore less likely to be influenced by them. I am well-versed in human interaction as a recruiter. I similarly leverage data to get an understanding of the big picture, but I far outweigh points made in collaborative discussions than what we see on surveys and reports.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Our current board has not considered ALL families and ALL constituents in their decision making. They fail to listen to the motions of the only educator on the board. They do not do a good job in meeting our community members where they are at and will remind the community that they have spent time on certain topics and they are behind. There is not a central, accessible repository of information that is easy to digest in 2020.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I am a huge proponent for better communication, for engaging with our school community (including Diversity & Inclusion initiatives), and keeping on top of where we spend our money because if we waste what we have, and we don't want to ask for more, then we need to manage the budget better so we can get the resources and facilities we need.

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

So much of this role is about accountability. I hold myself and the people on my team, whether that is in the office or on my D1 college track team, accountable for putting in the time so we can accomplish great things. I have managed people in a corporate setting, been a team captain 3 years of college, and was a member of the Andover: Protect All Children insurgency that supported the population of Andover families that did not support the negative repercussions start time changes would have on ALL of our school community.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am an extremely approachable person. I am often found with a hot coffee cheering on my boys Saturday mornings. I stand for fairness and see a school committee seat to be completely bipartisan. I am here to represent ALL of our children. I look forward to serving Andover is a larger capacity for ALL families.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.