Alisa Skatrud for Needham School Committee

I’m Alisa Skatrud, a member of the Needham School Committee since 2022. I am the mother of three children in the Needham Public Schools, and I have volunteered in the schools and community since my family first moved to Needham in 2000. I’ve spent my career in the financial services industry while also pursuing graduate-level education in the areas of disability and health policy. I am passionate about public education and I believe my personal and professional experience will help me be an effective advocate for the needs of Needham’s students, families, and schools in the coming years.

MY STORY

My husband and I moved to Needham in 2000, knowing little more about the community than it had “good schools” and a train schedule that optimized our commute to our Boston jobs. Since then, we have come to know and love Needham and the warm, kind neighbors that make it a special place. And we understand much more the positive impact of “good schools” on a community and its residents.

All three of my children are currently enrolled in the Needham Public Schools. My eldest daughter has Down syndrome, and her experience in the public school system has led to a deep degree of engagement in education for our family. She began as a barely-walking three-year-old at the Needham Preschool. Today, she participates in the post-graduate program at Needham High School, learning job skills and preparing for adult life. My middle child is a junior at Needham High School, active in theater and music and taking advantage of the AP and accelerated course offerings at NHS. My youngest is a seventh-grader at Pollard, also active in the performing arts and athletics.

To support my children and their schools, I’ve been an active volunteer for many years for organizations including school PTCs, Needham SEPAC, CAPP (Child Assault Prevention Program), NHS Friends of Music, Citizens for Needham Schools, and the Portrait of a Needham Graduate committee. I also serve as a Town Meeting Member for Precinct G.

Professionally, I’ve spent the past three decades in the financial services industry, currently working as a financial planner and investment manager at a boutique investment firm, Plum Street Advisors. I graduated from Colby College with a BA in English and a minor in Economics, and also hold a Master’s in Public Administration from Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University.

MY EXPERIENCE

Community Experience

Citizens for Needham Schools — Co-chair and Board Member
Portrait of a Needham Graduate Committee
Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) —Co-chair and Board Member
NHS Friends of Music — Treasurer and Executive Committee Member
Elementary School PTCs — Newman Preschool Chair, Mitchell Room Parent
Town Meeting Member, Precinct G

Education and Policy Experience

Master’s in Public Administration from Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University, focused on local government and non-profits
Certificate in Disability and Health Policy from Moakley Center for Public Management at Sawyer Business School
LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) Fellow at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at the UMass Chan Medical School
Parent liaison to three American Academy of Pediatrics policy-making committees

Financial Experience

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
20-year career in financial services and socially responsible investing
Financial planner and investment advisor at Plum Street Advisors

MY PRIORITIES

Providing meaningful inclusion for all students. Our schools must work for ALL. My oldest child has Down syndrome and has at times struggled to feel like a meaningful part of our school community. Her experience is not unique, among students with and without disability. Feeling like you don’t belong is not ok, for her or for any child, whether that “left out” feeling is related to race, gender, socio-economics, social dynamics, lack of academic or athletic ability, or physical or intellectual disability.

Preparing students for the future. In a world where facts are easily accessible from a device in one’s pocket, top honors no longer go to the person who has crammed the most facts into their brain - instead, skills such as synthesizing information, communicating, collaborating, and problem solving will be most critical. Our teaching and our practices must rise to the challenges of this shift, and focus on the future, not the past.

Ensuring our school buildings adequately meet our needs. This will be one of the top challenges of the next decade. As we refine how we educate students, we must make sure that these efforts are well supported by our buildings in order to best meet our needs.

Fostering community engagement. All of these priorities will require town-wide community engagement, amongst both citizens and our legislative committees. And we must ensure that the practices and systems to facilitate that engagement are in place.