From: Austin Lewis
Columbus
It’s been my good fortune to know Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. School Board candidate Whittney Loyd for 10 years now.
In the fall of 2014, I joined the Dance Marathon planning committee while a junior at Columbus East. I quickly gained an invaluable mentor in Whittney.
From the first organizational meeting it was clear that Whittney had a deep devotion and commitment to the prevention of intimate partner violence. Equally, she was devoted to me and my peer students.
Whittney continues to have the same level of engagement and passion for student education and the Bartholomew County community in general.
My appreciation of her passions and priorities has only grown in the decade since. I’ve witnessed Whittney’s transition through many life events: leaving her role as Turning Point’s vice president of resource development to manage Dance Marathon fundraisers across the state for Riley Children’s Hospital, returning to Bartholomew County to be the director of resource development for United Way, becoming a mother to two children, and finally, coming full circle as president of Turning Point. Now, I look forward — with great anticipation — to what she can accomplish on the BCSC School Board.
I can also attest to Whittney’s continued dedication to the students of Bartholomew County. She has maintained a personal relationship with me since I graduated high school, and she continues to be a sounding board and mentor for me as I navigate adulthood. As someone who knew her as a student, I know that she is student-centered, and that she listens intently to understand rather than simply respond. In the best traditions of leadership teaching “seek first to understand,” she has always placed the needs of individuals at the forefront of the decisions she has made.
I also worked with District 5 Candidate Leigh Britt on Dance Marathon. Leigh was the adult mentor for the Prize Committee, the sub-committee I joined in my first year. She, too, was invaluable to my personal development through Dance Marathon. Leigh is kind and understanding, while also maintaining a devotion to excellence and keen problem solving skills cut with masterful creativity.
My parents Greg Lewis (long-time Social Studies Department chairman at East and presidential portrayer) and Nancy Lewis (former special education coordinator at North and connections minister, among many other titles, at First Christian Church) always taught me the paramount consideration — no matter the context — is to strive to do the right thing.
So in my mind this is what leadership is about: transparency, integrity, listening first, and caring deeply. Service to others first, foremost, and always. It’s called character. This is Whittney. This is Leigh.
Their commitment to the community and character is above reproach (as well as their fellow running mate and board chair Nicole Wheeldon) and makes them excellent choices for School Board and the betterment of Columbus and Bartholomew County.
Vote yes to Whittney in District 3, Leigh in District 5 and Nicole, District 7, for their willingness to serve on the BCSC School Board.
Editor’s note: This letter is paid political content. Political endorsement letters are published with a $25 fee. They may be submitted to [email protected].
