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About Neal |
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Vote! Early voting, April 27—May 5 Election Day—May 9 |
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NEAL HOWARD |
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For Katy ISD School Board Position 7 |
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Vote! Early voting, April 27—May 5 Election Day—May 9 |
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My wife Peggy and I have been married for over 20 years. We met as Young Life volunteer leaders in Midland, Texas, where I worked for Exxon. We rode this Schwin Tandem from Midland to Lubbock in the 1989 MS 150. |
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Family Life |
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We transferred to Houston in 1994, choosing the Katy area because of its high quality schools and affordable housing. We moved to the Greenway Village neighborhood in Cinco Ranch, so that our kids could attend the brand new Fielder Elementary School. We were shown at the Cinco Ranch Beach Club in newspaper ads in 1995. |
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Peggy and I now have four children… |
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Grace is a first-year mechanical engineering student at Duke University. She graduated from Cinco Ranch High School, was a National Merit Scholar and a member of the Cross Country team that came in third at the State Meet in 2007. |
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Ned is a junior at Cinco Ranch and is an accomplished drummer and water skier. He was a member of the Cinco Ranch Junior High Honors Band which performed at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago in 2004. |
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Amy Claire is a freshman at Cinco Ranch, where she is a member of the Cross Country team. She was in the choir and played basketball and ran track at Cinco Ranch Junior High. She also served in Galveston doing Ike relief with our church. |
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Hank is a sixth grader at Cinco Ranch Junior High. He plays cello in the orchestra, and has played Katy Youth Basketball and Katy American Little League for six years. He also served in Galveston doing Ike relief. |
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Education and Career |
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I grew up in Houston, attended Westchester High School, graduated from Rice University as a chemical engineer and received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Virginia. I worked for Shell for two years, ExxonMobil for 23 years, and have been with Occidental Petroleum in Business Development since September of 2008. My current job requires performing technical assessments of oil and gas properties, making long-term financial forecasts, and acquiring strategic assets. |
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Why I Want To Be YOUR School Board Member |
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My interest in school board issues dates back to the late 1990’s when my friend David Rogers was on the Board of Trustees. We visited about several issues and he suggested that I attend the Wednesday night work study sessions to find out more about Katy ISD. I attended many sessions over the years, gaining insight into financial, operational, and curriculum development issues. I dug deeper into Katy ISD by being involved in various committees and activities at the District level, while maintaining involvement at the campuses. I organized field trips to the Katy Gas Field and ExxonMobil’s Baytown Refinery and taught several classes, leading to a greater appreciation for the job teachers do every day.
I chose to run for the Board for a couple of beliefs that I hold deeply. I believe that Trustees need to represent the entire District, that quality teachers need to be appreciated, that extra-curricular activities such as athletics and fine arts are vital to developing student potential, and that communicating long-term strategies and plans to the people of Katy is crucial – even more so in these uncertain times.
I believe that a wide variety of life experiences are important for the perspective to be an effective Board member. The last three years I have spent considerable time and energy as a basketball referee. Several things come to mind as I relate my officiating experiences to potentially becoming a Board member:
· The job is probably not as easy as it seems from the stands, · You have to know more than the rules to do a good job, · Communicating effectively reduces conflicts, · Preparation, positioning for the best view, and working with your teammates improves performance, and · If you do a good job, nobody notices you, but they notice the outstanding performances of those in the game, and that is very rewarding.
As a parent of four kids who have grown up in Katy, and as a teacher, coach, neighbor and friend to many other young people in this community, I am proud of how well Katy schools prepare students for a productive and rewarding future. My goal as a Board member is to make sure that ALL students have the resources to achieve their dreams. |
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Political advertising paid for by Neal Howard, 23214 Grand Meadows, Katy, TX 77494, Susan Handley, Treasurer |
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Join our Facebook page, Neal Howard for Katy ISD School Board Position 7! |