We-Ha.com is offering our readers the opportunity to meet the candidates running for election on Nov. 3, 2015.

Cheryl Greenberg. Submitted photo

Compiled by Ronni Newton

We-Ha.com is offering our readers the opportunity to “Meet the Candidate” – designed to help them get to know the candidates running for office in the Nov. 3, 2015 municipal election.

Identical questionnaires have been sent to all major party candidates, and each profile received has been submitted directly to We-Ha.com by the candidate or the candidate’s campaign management. The responses have not been edited but have been formatted to match our publication style. Questions left blank have been deleted.

As profiles are received, they will be published on We-Ha.com under the “Government” tab. We-Ha.com is not making endorsements of any political candidates but we are publishing this information in order to assist West Hartford voters in being informed and prepared when they go to the polls on Nov. 3.

If you are a candidate and wish to submit a profile, please return it by email to Ronni Newton at [email protected] ASAP.

Name: Cheryl Greenberg

Age: 57

Party, position seeking: Democrat, Board of Education (2 year position)

Family information: Married to Dan Lloyd. Two children, Rianna (20) and Morgan (18)

Occupation: Professor of U.S. History, Trinity College

Political experience: Appointed to West Hartford Board of Education, May 2015

Other relevant experience: I serve or have served on the board/executive council of the Greater Hartford Jewish Community Relations Council; West Hartford Initiative on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (WHIRED); Greater Hartford Jewish Historical Society; Noah Webster House; CT Anti-Defamation League; American Jewish Historical Society; and the Immigration and Ethnic History Society (currently as treasurer). I have also served as Faculty Secretary at Trinity College and as a diversity trainer for the ADL’s A World of Difference Institute. I am teaching a course at Cheshire Correctional Institution through Wesleyan University’s Center for Prison Education.

Why are you running for office? As the child of a professor, a former high school teacher and now a college professor, I have been involved with education for my entire life. My husband and I chose West Hartford because of the excellence of the public schools and the economic and racial diversity of the town. Now that my children have graduated (class of 2012 and 2015), I see service on the Board of Education as a way to “give back” by putting my skills and commitments to work. I want to make sure that every child has the quality of education and the array of opportunities and supports that my children enjoyed, and to make sure we support the teachers, programs, and staff who make that possible.

What issues are your primary area of focus?

• Equity: making sure we provide every child with what he or she needs in order to thrive
• Curricular innovation: further strengthening our curriculum to provide more opportunities for collaboration, interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving, and individualized learning
• Community engagement: fostering discussions on issues of concern to West Hartford parents and community members

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing West Hartford today? Continuing to provide a rigorous and nurturing learning environment for students, and supporting teachers and staff as they deserve, while facing decreased state and federal funding for education.

What do you feel differentiates you from the other candidates also running for this position? I think each of us brings unique strengths to the Board, and different perspectives based on our own training and experiences. I would argue it is precisely that diversity that distinguishes us as a group.

Anything else you would like to share? I look forward to having the opportunity to continue working with the talented and thoughtful members of the Board of Education and Town Council, present and future. I promise to continue working hard on the board to represent parents and to advance the interests of all our students.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my views with the community.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!