Hi!  I'm Marvin!  I've been married for 32 years. My wife (Teresa) and I are both classroom teachers at Campus High School in USD 261 Haysville.

As a former business person,  pastor, and school administrator, I've learned the most about education as parent of a daughter significantly impacted by Down Syndrome while navigating 4 different school systems along the way.   

Over the last two decades, I've devoted my career to developing stronger community and educational supports for all families in all schools.  

MORE ABOUT ME: A graduate of Whittier College and then Fuller Theological Seminary, I served in ministry while working in business, finance, and hospitality management.

A decade later, when my youngest daughter was born with Down Syndrome, I began taking courses in Special Education at Cal State LA at night while serving as a senior financial controller for a multi-state 3PL (Third Party Logistics) and ice manufacturing company near the Port of Los Angeles.

After teaching and then serving as an administrator of a Christian School in Whittier, California, our family relocated to Wichita, Kansas where I served as the building administrator of the KSDE accredited Bethel Life School.

In 2012, my wife (Teresa)and I both began serving the Haysville USD 261 district. I  re-focused on completing my doctoral degree on Family Caregivers of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and began working with students requiring specially designed instruction.  Since 2014, when I was first appointed to the Special Education Advisory Council representing SBOE District 10, I  have brought my background and experiences to offer guidance and advice to many state educational policy decisions.  This year, I was honored as the Special Education Professional of the Year by KASEA (Kansas Association of Special Education Administrators)

During my time in Wichita,  I have also completed CPE chaplaincy training at the Level 1 Trauma Center at  Wesley Medical Center.  I have served as a co-vocational ordained minister (Assemblies of God) in pastoral assignments in Wichita, Wellington, Pratt, and Newton.   Currently, I volunteer lead Sunday afternoon nursing home services in Haysville.

SO WHY RUN  NOW?   Our eldest daughter graduated from the IB program at Campus in 2017 and is now completing law school.  My youngest aged out of her Transition Program in 2023.  I'm concerned that the future students of Kansas will not even have the opportunities they had.

As a classroom teacher and a special needs parent, I have seen the struggles public schools face today.  I've witnessed that impact on facilities, teachers, students, and families.  My conversations happen not just at school and sporting events, but at churches, at the grocery store, and in the community.   I've worked with the state board on policies that help students with disabilities -- and want to continue to be their voice in all matters.

For us to move into the next decades of innovation, we need to invest in our future, invest in education, and invest in our teachers.  This takes Courageous Leadership - charting a new course forward. 

If you, like me, believe that we can create a better future for our kids, I would appreciate your vote!  Thank you!