New Canaan resident Tia Whinery has announced that she will seek a seat on the Board of Education. The Republican will seek party backing at the GOP Caucus on July 25. We put some questions to Whinery ahead of the Caucus, which is open to all registered New Canaan Republicans.
Here’s our exchange.
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New Canaanite: What is your background professionally and in terms of living and volunteering here in New Canaan?
Tia Whinery: After graduating from Boston College, I went through the merchandise training program at Abercrombie & Fitch. After a year working for the main brand I, along with 2 other merchants were tapped to launch a new brand concept that would become Hollister Co. It was an incredible experience to help build not only a brand from the ground up, but an entire team. I was fortunate to be involved in so many aspects of the business from corporate hiring, store design and marketing. By the time I left Hollister I had half of the Girls Merchandising team reporting into me. I have also worked at J. Crew and TJX Corporation. In my role I would work with multiple teams (design, finance, distribution, production, marketing) to make sure my business was hitting its goals. I also spent a lot of time analyzing sales and trend data. When we moved to New Canaan in late 2010, I left the corporate world behind and became very involved in this amazing community. I have served on the Boards of the Newcomers Club, New Canaan Nature Center (6 years as the Preschool Liaison), South School PTC, Saxe PTC, New Canaan Field Club, and I am currently President of New Canaan Youth Field Hockey. Along with my Board service I have also been a class mom, house league lacrosse coach, lacrosse and field hockey team managers, girl scout troop co-leader, and have sat on several committees at the Congregational Church.
Why are you running for the Board of Education?
I am running for the Board of Education because I care immensely about our schools. Not only do I have 2 kids in the schools, but I also recognize how important they are to our town. New Canaan Public Schools are consistently rated at the top of our state and in Dr. Luizzi and his team, we have the people in place to continue to innovate and improve. As a lifelong Republican, I believe that I have the right skill set and approach to be an effective Board member to help the schools achieve their goals in service of the kids of our town. Service is something I feel strongly about, and I have always tried to find ways to serve in our community and schools.
What do you view as the biggest issues facing our school district?
There are many areas that I feel are important for any BOE (academics, safety, communication) and those are areas that current and previous boards have been successfully working on so for the purpose of this piece I will highlight Staying Focused and Leading Forward.
I think that it is important for the BOE is to stay focused on New Canaan and local issues. I am not saying to ignore what is going on elsewhere, but successful organizations don’t let outside noise move them off their mission. The mission of the New Canaan Schools is to prepare the students of our community to be successful in life, both academically and as people. This includes both hard and soft skills. It will mean continuing to focus on innovation, academics and providing opportunities for non-traditional learning and preparing our students with strong communication, problem solving and critical thinking skills.
The education landscape is changing rapidly since the pandemic. Technology will continue to change how students learn at a rapid pace. We need to stay focused and engaged on the core academics and learning, as well as supporting the development of soft/people skills expected by future colleges/universities and employers. I am excited to be a part of the team that will be Leading Forward in these areas.
We have also seen strong, continuous, and potentially increasing student enrollment that could present new challenges and opportunities for the next Board.
Importantly, the BOE is the largest recipient of taxpayer dollars that fund our excellent school system. Much of the BOE’s focus is spent on oversight of this $100 million budget and all the related analysis and communications with the administration and town bodies on current and future spending needs. My professional background aligns well as I have strong financial and business fundamentals as well as a track record of working successfully with teams and boards.
We need engaged, dedicated board members to study these issues and work with the administration to stay ahead and continue to be a nation-leading school district. I believe my resume and my record in this community show that I am well qualified to be successful in this job.
How would you describe the ideal working relationship between the Board of Ed and district administration?
The role of the BOE has several important functions. One is to oversee and support the administration. We are fortunate that a previous BOE made the excellent selection of Dr. Luizzi as our superintendent. He is the person in the executive role that drives the day to day of our district. He has a proven track record in our district, and I hope to work with him on behalf of our district. The Board should also make decisions that prioritize what is best for the kids, report out to parents and residents of the town, and listen to and receive feedback from the community. In my 6 years on the New Canaan Nature Center Board of Trustees we operated in a similar set up to the New Canaan BOE. The Nature Center professional staff was headed by an Executive Director and the Board worked closely with him and his team to support and offer oversight through writing and executing strategic plans, financial oversight, and running sub committees. Because our Board tended to have members active in the community, we were also a conduit for feedback and helped communicate the Nature Center’s message. This, along with my other service with local organizations has given me a great perspective on how a well-functioning board can work.
Finally, tell us something about yourself that many New Canaanites likely don’t know.
My real name is Cynthia, but no one has ever called me that, not even my parents. My mom had a sorority sister at the University of Wisconsin whose name was Cynthia, but she went by Tia. I always know if it is a telemarketer because they ask for Cynthia as that is what is listed on government documents.
We would be so fortunate to have Tia Whinery on our BOE. I have served on 2 boards with her in New Canaan and she is a very thoughtful and strong leader who works well with a team. She has given so much of her time to our community and has been deeply involved with our schools.
Tia personifies the thoughtful, balanced, experienced leader we need in our town, especially in our schools. Please don’t overlook her impressive volunteer record over the last twelve years. Experience counts. We need people who are committed and have proven track records driving the bus. We need people who build consensus and focus on results. Tia embodies these traits and would be a great addition to the BOE.
Thank you, Tia!
Could you please tell us where you stand on the “ hot button” issues?
For example , how do you think parents’ input on curriculum choices and gender discussions should be handled?
Hi Beth, thanks for your important question. I believe that students are the best served when parents and schools are working together no matter what the issue is. Parents’ voices are very important and I think our community and schools are as strong as they are because of our active parent community. As a BOE member I would want an open dialogue and feedback from parents as I would be serving the families of this town. In my opinion, parents should always have a role in any issues a child is experiencing – academically, socially and emotionally.