It is no secret that Carol Gregory is my choice for 30th Legislative District State Representative. She brings an extraordinary set of qualifications to the job as well as the wisdom gained from her experience as an educator and community leader.

For starters, Gregory has worked with all levels of governance, from managing the state’s Small Business Improvement Council and Community Relations office for Governor Booth Gardner to service as a cabinet member for Washington State’s Superintendent of Public Instruction. The King County Workforce Development Council has also sought her counsel and she currently serves as the director of BuRSST for Prosperity, an important poverty reduction initiative. Gregory brings a passion for preparing students for future jobs with valuable workforce training programs. She understands that it is no longer enough to show a high school diploma to find a point of entry to a career.

Her work as a director of the Highline School District Community Engagement Program has connected her to the importance of our statewide community college system. Thirty-four community colleges are strategically placed around our state. Each offers two-year associate degrees in a wide variety of disciplines. Equally important, transfer to a four-year baccalaureate degree from one of our state’s universities is within reach for those prepared to stay in school and work hard.

In other words, Carol Gregory is a complete package. She has been in the trenches to make our public education system really work and our children and grandchildren are the beneficiaries. The next generation is counting on us to continue this mighty effort and are urging us to send Gregory to Olympia and the state Legislature. The quality of their future lives depends on how we all vote today. Please mark your ballot for Carol Gregory, easily the most qualified candidate for the State Legislature we have seen in years.

Barbara Reid, Federal Way