Maple Ridge mountain biker Jeff Stromgren seeks school board seat

Maple Ridge resident Jeff Stromgren, an educator, community volunteer and mountain biker, is running for school board. He says strong schools build strong communities and that every student should have access to quality education, needed resources and meaningful opportunities to learn, grow and succeed.

Stromgren has 28 years of education experience in classroom and community-development roles. He holds a Bachelor of Education from McGill University and a master’s degree in Physical and Health Education from the University of Wollongong. For the past 28 years, he has worked for School District 43 Coquitlam as a teacher and district co-ordinator.

He says his work has given him detailed knowledge of specialized funding streams at the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care. He has helped develop funding-disbursement strategies and reported on outcomes for CommunityLINK, The Student and Family Affordability Fund and The Feeding Futures Fund. He also cites experience in grant writing and donation procurement.

For about three decades, Stromgren has organized children’s conferences, coached teams and worked in sports administration in school and community settings. He is an ambassador for the Middle Years Development Instrument, developed by UBC’s Human Early Learning Partnership, and says the role has provided experience in data collection, analysis and using evidence to understand the well-being of children and youth.

Stromgren has served on the boards of Moresports Community Development Foundation, The Do What U Luv Foundation and Port Coquitlam Sports Alliance. He says those roles gave him extensive non-profit governance experience. He and his wife, Renee, have lived in west Maple Ridge since 2009; their children, Holden and Evelyn, attended neighbourhood schools from kindergarten and are now in Grades 9 and 8.

He is currently the Fraser Valley Athletic Association Mountain Bike Co-ordinator for students in Grades 9 through 12, hosting events and championships at the Thornhill trails, and is a key contributor to the annual BC Bike Race. Stromgren says he is committed to listening to and working with students, families, educators, workers and community members. More information is available at https://www.jeffstromgren.ca/. Municipal elections are Saturday, Oct. 17.