Melissa Stiavelli — East Penn School District
This installment of our series of interviews with school director candidates across Pennsylvania brings us to the East Penn School District.
Melissa Stiavelli is running for school director in the East Penn School District, located in Lehigh County. She is a registered Democrat and is a managing director and Vice President of sales with an electronics company.
Why are you running for school board?
I’m running for the East Penn school board because I want to give back to this community and help ensure that every student has access to the same excellent education my children have received.
What are the most important issues facing your district?
The number one issue I hear from voters is fiscal responsibility and ensuring that every dollar we spend provides the greatest possible return for students and taxpayers. This ties closely to the currently paused realignment plan, with much of the criticism coming as a result of higher than anticipated costs.
What is your professional background/experience? What skills would you bring to the board?
I have early career experience as a secondary social studies and English teacher. My career pivoted, and I moved to the business world, earning an executive MBA and eventually moving to my current role as the managing director and Vice President of sales for North America for an embedded electronics company. I would bring these two perspectives to the board — that of an educator and that of a business leader to approach all issues, especially budgeting decisions. I like to make sure I’m seeing the big picture and listening closely to all viewpoints.
Have you run for political office previously? Have you been politically active?
No, I’ve never run for political office.
Are you running with other candidates?
No, I am not running with other candidates.
What is the most important role of the school board in your opinion?
The most important role of the school board is to set the vision and provide strong governance to ensure every student receives a high quality education. Much like my current role as a managing director, the school board needs to focus on the big picture, including establishing clear policies, setting priorities, approving budgets, and holding the district accountable for results.
Please list any campaign websites and social media sites.
We contacted the Democratic and Republican committees in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, and Montgomery counties and asked them to share the questions with their school director candidates. Broad + Liberty will post the responses throughout the summer to assist voters in learning about the candidates running in their district. The series is open to any school director on the ballot in November. Please contact barosica@broadandliberty.com for more information.
