I love Anne for more reasons than I can list here. At the top of that long list is that she acts on her principles, inspired by her compassion for others, with a competence and creativity that has enriched my life more than I can say and that gives me hope for the future.

Anne’s approach to life is rooted in her upbringing. Just before we became engaged to marry, Anne brought me to her Iowa hometown to celebrate her father’s retirement from a 40-year career teaching high school chemistry and biology. Her mother threw an extraordinary party, where, it seemed, the entire town had come to toast Halsey’s life’s work. I was blown away by the community Anne’s parents had built, and have come to understand that such a healthy community was no accident. Together they worked—through the public schools, as co-founders of the town’s volunteer ambulance service, as foster parents, as managers of the local public pool, as members of their church—to raise a thriving family by investing their time and energy in the lives of their neighbors. This model runs deep in many generations of Anne’s family. It is a model of happiness and community built through service, and it is at the core of Anne’s character and at the heart of her reasons for running for a position on the school board.

Since we met 19 years ago, and during our 13 years of marriage, Anne has been inexhaustibly and passionately committed to using her immense talents not just to improve her own life, but also to invest in the quality of life of those around her. Anne’s commitment has been clear whether she was making lifelong friends and colleagues while managing a multimillion dollar corporate budget; producing award-winning programs that brought the arts to the public; consulting on higher education policy; working with the local school council; co-leading the parent preschool cooperative here in San Marcos; volunteering with seniors; being the team-mom for our kids’ ball teams; or volunteering for the Food Bank. Most days, I am proud to say, I have to run to keep up with Anne as she leads our family’s engagement with our community.

I know Anne better than anyone—and I support her run for the School Board more than anyone—and not just because I grow to love her more every day. I support her, most of all, because I know in my heart she will approach her work on the SMCISD board with the same integrity, creativity, and hard-won competence that she continues to bring to our family, to her remarkable professional career, and to her many years of community service.

I urge you to vote for Anne on May 9 because you will be casting a vote for a better San Marcos for all of our kids.

—Jeff