Numbers Guy

I had coffee with David Gertler yesterday. David is one of six candidates vying for three open seats on the HoCo Board of Education this November. I've winnowed my choices down to four and David is one of them so I was curious to find out more about him.

The first thing you should know about David is that he’s a mathematician, a real numbers wonk who initially moved to HoCo after being hired out of college by NSA at Fort Meade. Given that NSA and the newly created Cyber Command are likely to be major economic engines for this region for the foreseeable future, I see this experience as a big plus. The demand for people with strong math skills to work in the burgeoning cyber security field puts real pressure on our school system to step up its game in this area.

He’s more than just a math guy though. He’s also a successful business person, with a Wharton MBA. He’s worked in large corporations and start ups and unlike what you might expect of a math geek, he’s also done stand up comedy. After four years of Allen Dyer, a little sense of humor on the board would be a good thing.

In case you haven’t already figured it out, I liked the guy. We are fortunate that people like him are willing to put themselves out there by running for school board. I also like that, unlike certain others, he doesn’t seem to harbor a desire for a life in politics either. David told me that if he is successful, he would limit his service on the board to two terms.

With only eighty days until the election, I have narrowed my personal preferences down to four, Ellen Flynn Giles, Janet Siddiqui, Jackie Scott and David Gertler. All four are excellent candidates which will make culling the list down to three all the more difficult. I honestly believe that all four of them would serve our students well.