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| Created The Center for the Working Child in Peru - serving over 7,000 children and families |
| Bi-lingual |
| Practiced Law |
| Established dozens of schools across the nation in urban, underserved areas |
| As President of Spy Pond Association, helped to secure 1 million in funds to improve park. |
| Elected twice to Arlington School Committee, worked to keep clear focus on improving teaching and learning for all members of the school community. |
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Elected and Community Service
Bio
The son of a retired public high school teacher, Jeff is completing his sixth year on the Arlington School Committee. During his tenure, he fought to improve services for students with special needs, worked with parents to develop a uniform food allergy policy, helped negotiate two contracts with the local teachers union, successfully fought for more reading and math support for struggling students, lobbied for improvements in the English Language Learner program, and designed a process to oversee the district's progress on yearly goals.
He co-chaired Arlington's successful 2005 override and fiscal stability campaign that brought together a diverse group of local citizens. As a member of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees and Stand for Children, Jeff has lobbied state legislators and other officials for more funding for Arlington's schools.
Jeff has been a member of the Arlington Town Meeting since 2001. He served as President of the
Friends of Spy Pond Park for two years and led the effort to secure funds to renovate the park. The project created a beautiful space for neighbors and visitors and protected the shoreline of one of Arlington's natural treasures.
He has devoted much of his professional life to the creation of schools and programs that help children in great need. His professional work gives him unique insights into ways to provide quality education to young people.
In 1997 he was recruited to work for Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, which serves economically disadvantaged young people on Chicago's south side. Jeff oversaw an $18 million fundraising effort, and the school gained a national reputation for a unique work-study program that engaged students in their learning, kept them in school, and motivated them to pursue higher education.
In 2000, Jeff became the Executive Director of the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation and led the effort to establish 22 Cristo Rey high schools in some of the nation's poorest urban communities. He worked with community leaders in each city to provide quality education to young people. Please see www.cristoreynetwork.org to learn more about the Cristo Rey schools.
Under his guidance the Cassin Foundation provided start-up assistance to 40 NativityMiguel middle schools (see www.nativitymiguelschools.org). The two networks of schools are serving more than 12,000 young people from economically disadvantaged families.
A book about the Cristo Rey schools, More than a Dream, (see www.morethanadreambook.com) talks about the role Jeff played in the launch of this movement. Jeff and the Cristo Rey schools have been featured in numerous books, television and radio broadcasts, and newspaper articles, and Jeff has spoken throughout the country about the Cristo Rey schools.
Jeff is a graduate of Boston College (1985) and Boston College Law School (1992). From 1985 to 1989, he served as a Jesuit International Volunteer in Tacna, Peru, where he taught high school and founded the Center for the Working Child to help street children and their families. Twenty-three years after its founding, the Center continues to provide health, nutrition, education and housing services to 250 children each year. His book, Volunteer: With the Poor in Peru (Paulist Press, 1991), details the founding of the project. To obtain Jeff’s book, please visit www.authorhouse.com. |
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Jeff remains fluent in Spanish and continues to raise awareness of the plight of the world’s working children.
Jeff is the host and producer of a monthly cable/internet show called The Public Square. The program tackles issues of interest to our communties, and invites people to share their perspectives. It is viewed in roughly 15 greater Boston communities, and can be seen online, anytime, by visiting the website -- www.publicsquaretv.com.
Jeff, his wife, Christine, a Lexington native, and their son, Aidan, and daughter, Sophie, live on Coolidge Road in Arlington.
Please help our campaign with an online contribution!
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