Who's Who of the School Board Candidates

GENE MURPHY (R)

Ambler Patch: What political offices have you held in the past?

Gene Murphy: I have held several positions in the past

• Rep. Ward Chairman / Leader
• Rep. Committeeperson
• Rep. Judge of Elections
• Rep. Minority Inspector

AP: Can you take a moment to tell our readers a little about yourself – where you’re from, your education, and your professional and personal achievements? 

GM: I am originally from Philadelphia, I have a Business Degree from Temple University. I am a seasoned business leader who is running for Wissahickon School Director for the first time. I am a business-focused, results-oriented individual with significant experience in improving business operations, increasing revenue and maximizing profitability. I have demonstrated expertise in planning, executing and delivering strategic core business initiatives. I have previously served on boards for several organizations.  I have two children who are Wissahickon graduates and one child in the 11th grade at Wissahickon High School. 

AP: Where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? Are there key philosophies or issues you hold most important?

GM: I am a conservative and if elected to the Wissahickon School Board, my focus will be on Student Achievement, keeping Taxes to a minimum and balancing the Wissahickon School District budget. 

AP: Why is it important to you to run for this and attain this office?

GM: I have the experience of being a parent of children in the Wissahickon School District and a taxpayer in the district. I plan to bring my business experience to the Wissahickon School Board for the benefit of the students, teachers and administration of the Wissahickon School District. 

CHARLES McINTYRE (R)

Ambler Patch: What political offices have you held in the past? 

Charles McIntyre: I am a businessman not a politician and therefore have not previously held any political offices.  While school board candidates are elected by popular vote to the board, I do not consider these positions to be political offices.  

AP: Can you take a moment to tell our readers a little about yourself – where you’re from, your education, and your professional and personal achievements? 

CM: My wife, Janet, and I have been a resident of Whitpain Township in Blue Bell, for the last 21 years where we raised our three children all who attended and graduated from the Wissahickon School District.  Janet and I have been married for 39 years.   

Prior to moving to Blue Bell we lived in Farmington Hills, Michigan for 17 years where I started my professional career with Unisys (Burroughs Corporation) in 1973 supporting large mainframe computer clients in the greater Detroit area.  In 1980 I joined the sales organization in the Detroit Automotive District and was named the Branch Sales Manager for the Central Communications Branch in 1986.  The following year I joined the Corporate Program Management for high-end enterprise computer systems and assumed the position of Director of Product Management. In this position I directed the development of all high-end enterprise computer systems.  After the merger with Sperry Corporation in 1986 we moved our team to Blue Bell in 1990. In 1999 I was named to the position of Nation Sales Director for North America Operations where I currently direct sales and marketing activities.   

I earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Kent State University and also did graduate work in Business and Mathematics at Kent State University. 

AP: Where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? Are there key philosophies or issues you hold most important? 

CM: I want to see the Wissahickon School District (WSD) be the best it can be.  This not only benefits our children and our future but it also benefits the community as a whole.  But throwing money at our schools is not the answer.  So we need to work with the school district and balance the school district’s budget while not increasing our tax payer’s burden. 

AP: Why is it important to you to run for this and attain this office? 

CM: I live and work in the technical community and technology has become so important to the future of our community and our children.  We need to make sure that our children are knowledgeable and comfortable with the technologies that they will encounter in their work environments or their higher education pursuits.  But which technologies should we invest and introduce to our students?   We live in exponential times and technologies are coming at us so fast that often by the time one invests in a given technology it is already obsolete.  For example, according to Scott McLeod, a professor at the Univ. of Minnesota, half of what students will learn in their 1^st year of a 4 year technical degree program will be outdated by their 3^rd year of study.  So it is important that these technology investments be made wisely and it’s where I can make a significant contribution. 

Also I make and balance the marketing budget for our organization and I do this in an era where every year we have to do more with less.  So I can be very effective in working with our school district in helping determine how best to spend and balance our school’s budget.

BARBARA ULLERY (D)

Ambler Patch: What political offices have you held in the past?

Barbara Ullery: I was a Committee Woman in Whitpain Township for four years.

AP: Can you take a moment to tell our readers a little about yourself – where you’re from, your education, and your professional and personal achievements?

BU: My bio can be found on www.wsdgop.com

AP: Where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? Are there key philosophies or issues you hold most important?

BU: I am a fiscal conservative.  I want to see smaller government and contain taxes.

AP: Why is it important to you to run for this and attain this office?

BU: I feel it is important to give back to the community.  Whitpain is a wonderful place to live.  I want to maintain and improve the quality of education for our students while containing costs.  This will preserve our excellent bond rating and will attract people who are interested in good education to our community.

RON STOLOFF (D - 4-year and 2-year term)

Ambler Patch: What political offices have you held in the past?

Ron Stoloff: This would be the first political office that I’ve held.

AP: Can you take a moment to tell our readers a little about yourself – where you’re from, your education, and your professional and personal achievements?

RS: I was raised in Philadelphia, where I lived until I moved to Blue Bell 18 years ago. I attended public schools and attended Temple University where I received a BA in Education. Later I received a BS in Computer Science Education from Beaver (now Arcadia). I was a teacher in Philadelphia for 35 years and retired 6 years ago. Since then I have been doing volunteer work at an organization that recycles computers and both gives and sells them to community people. I also arranged it so that approximately 250 students in my former high school received free computers. I also do web sites for several non-profit organizations.

AP: Where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? Are there key philosophies or issues you hold most important?

RS: I am Center-Left. My key philosophy is that we are in a society together and that none of us will prosper unless all of us have the opportunity to achieve. I believe in public education because it has historically been the way for vast numbers of our citizens to rise from poverty to middle class life and I want that to continue into the future. It is only in Public Schools that students are likely to come in contact with people different from them so they can gain an understanding of this nation.

AP: Why is it important to you to run for this and attain this office?

RS: I have been attending School Board Meetings for several years and am surprised that there is no one with any educational experience on the. I feel that someone on the Board ought to have some understanding of what goes on in a classroom after the door is closed – and I am that person.

JANICE SINGER (R)

Ambler Patch: What political offices have you held in the past?

Janice Singer: Stony Creek PTA president, 2 of the 5 years on the executive committee, 4 years Wissahickon School Board, 1 year as Vice President

AP: Can you take a moment to tell our readers a little about yourself – where you’re from, your education, and your professional and personal achievements?

JS: I grew up in Bala-Cynwyd and attended Penn State and Temple Universities. Though I studied Early Childhood and Elementary Education, I spent 12 years in retail management. I am married with 3 children. My oldest just graduated from Wissahickon High School. Since having children, I have worked at Sesame/Rockwoods camp for 10 years as a bunk counselor. I worked as an assistant pre-school teacher for 3 years and have my own small invitation business out of my home.

AP: Where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? Are there key philosophies or issues you hold most important?

JS: I am a Republican. However, the school board is non-partisan, meaning there is no official Republican position on issues nor is there an official Democratic position. For my part, I believe in taxing only when it is absolutely necessary. On the student side of our job, student achievement and safety is of the utmost importance. Students are the reason we exist as a board. Students are the future of this country. I want to see them well prepared to go out into the work force or to continue their education at a top university.

AP: Why is it important to you to remain in office?

JS: I love being on the school board. What we do makes a positive difference in the lives of our children and community. We need strong leaders who believe in their convictions and are willing to stand up for them. We need people who are open-minded and willing to gather all information before making decisions. I believe my record shows that I am such a person.

BURUNDA PRINCE-JONES (R)

Ambler Patch: What political offices have you held in the past?

Burunda Prince-Jones: While I have not held any other elected political offices, within Wissahickon, I have been co-President of the Home & School and Parent Teacher Organizations at Lower Gwynedd Elementary and Wissahickon Middle Schools.

AP: Can you take a moment to tell our readers a little about yourself – where you’re from, your education, and your professional and personal achievements?

BPJ: I'm originally from Atlanta, Georgia where I was valedictorian of my public high school and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology as a high school senior.  My bachelors of science in chemical engineering is from MIT; my MBA is from the Harvard Business School. Upon graduation from HBS, I was a management consultant for the Boston based firm of Bain & Co before joining Rohm & Haas (now Dow Chemical) in Philadelphia.  At Rohm & Haas, I had several manager positions in marketing, distribution and strategic planning/new business development.  Prior to HBS, I was an process and products research engineer at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH. 

Personal achievements include being a wife, mother of three (two sons and a daughter), long time volunteer in the educational arena (Big Brother/Sister, United Way, MIT Educational Counselor, Wissahickon Educational Opportunities Foundation, Gwynedd Mercy College President's Council).  Exercise enthusiast, avid reader and world traveler.

AP: Where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? Are there key philosophies or issues you hold most important?

BPJ: I don't place myself on the political scale.  My focus is education, not politics.  I'm interested in policies that promote learning for all children, not party definitions that seek to distract from the focus of providing the best education for Wissahickon students.  I eagerly collaborate with any Democrat, Republican or Independent that believes education is important.

Educating ALL students is the only way that Wissahickon will go from Good to Great!

AP: Why is it important to you to remain in office?

BPJ: I strongly believe in the value of public education.  It affects our communities, our students, our collective future.  Education is one of America's greatest fundamental values -- that capability enables opportunity, not happenstance.  I want to use all of my combined educational, business and civic leadership experiences to help effect an educational experience that allows our students to compete and succeed in a global market in a balanced, fiscally prudent manner.

SETH GRANT (D)

Ambler Patch: What political offices have you held in the past?

Seth Grant: My political background is my work on the School Board from 2003 to present.

AP: Can you take a moment to tell our readers a little about yourself – where you’re from, your education, and your professional and personal achievements?

SG: I grew up in Cheltenham, PA. I went to college at Tulane University where I was a history major.  I was active in all facets of college life and I had four memorable years. After college I graduated from the Temple University School of Law. I have lived in Whitpain Township for 21 years with my wife Ellen, our son Brandon and daughter Jessica.

AP: Where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? Are there key philosophies or issues you hold most important?

SG: I am a moderate republican, who believes in personal responsibility and freedom.

AP: Why is it important to you to remain in office?

SG: I hope to remain in office to continue working on a great board that is committed to excellence and fairness to all taxpayers.

YOUNG K. PARK (R – 2 year term)

Ambler Patch: What political offices have you held in the past?

Young Park: School Director since 1999.

AP: Can you take a moment to tell our readers a little about yourself – where you’re from, your education, and your professional and personal achievements?

YP: I have been living in Blue Bell since 1986. 

Graduated from Methacton High School

Dickinson College with B.A. in Economics,

University of Pennsylvania Law School with J.D.

MIT Sloan School of Management with M.B.A.

I am an attorney by trade and CEO of a Pharmaceutical Company.

AP: Where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? Are there key philosophies or issues you hold most important? 

YP: I am a Republican.  I believe public education is the Key to the future of our children and nation.  I am a product of public education and I believe in it.  I want our students to achieve the best they can.  Student achievement is my main goal.  In order to continue to provide excellent public education, school directors and administrators have to be prudent guardians of the precious resources.  Fiscal responsibility and management is a key to providing excellent public education.   In our district, we have accomplished financial stability through prudent fiscal policies while accomplishing high student achievements.

AP: Why is it important to you to remain in office? 

YP: During the past 12 years, I helped the district initiate many student programs, teaching strategies, and financial controls and plans.  We are now reaping some of the benefits from those initiatives.  There are many great projects that I am involved in and I would like to see them achieved.  For example, in the very near future, perhaps as early as the beginning of this December, we have to develop a road map for the long term future of our district based on our facilities study and the future student enrollments study.   I believe that my 12 years of experience, my educational backgrounds, and my experience in general along with my vision for the district and our children will be a great help to our district’s future.