Susan P. Kearney

Candidate for School Board

Age: 49

Residence: City of Falls Church.

Education: BA, Russian studies and economics, University of Virginia; MBA, strategic management, Pace University.

Occupation: Vice president of marketing, Voxant.

Elected offices/civic activities: Vice chairman, Aurora House Citizens' Advisory Committee; past chairman, City of Falls Church Women's Commission; volunteer, Childhelp; volunteer, Girls in Technology; member, Women in Technology board of directors; past vice chairman, Executive Forum, Northern Virginia Technology Council.

What do you think is the most urgent problem facing your jurisdiction? "The most urgent problem facing our schools is taking academic excellence to the next level. Falls Church was founded in the name of world-class education. We pioneered all-day kindergarten in Virginia and led the way with the introduction of the International Baccalaureate program 25 years ago. Now that building a new middle school is behind us, we need to refocus our energy on innovative educational programs so that every child has the opportunity to succeed."

Why should voters elect you? "Voters should elect me because of my leadership experience, commitment to success for every child and focus on academic excellence."

Web site: None given.

E-mail address: spkearney@gmail.com