Ari Meisel is a Problem Solver Who is Deeply Invested in PPS and Community
To the Editor:
I’m writing in support of Ari Meisel as a candidate for the Board of Education. Ari is a problem solver who is deeply invested in our school system and our community, and I believe that he will be a capable addition to the Board.
You may have heard Ari described as an “efficiency coach.” I didn’t fully understand what that meant when I first met Ari a few years ago, but I’ve come to understand that it involves helping entrepreneurs and C-level executives become better managers and navigate challenging periods for their businesses. This is often during a time of growth or transition, and Ari’s role involves digging into the details of a business and finding ways to improve systems and operations, whether it be by leveraging technology (one of Ari’s favorite topics), by hiring or delegating in a strategic way, or by teaching his clients to be more effective managers and communicators. From my perspective, that is a pretty ideal skill set to bring to the management of a system as important as our school district.
As other supporters have noted, Ari is also an extremely involved parent and member of our community, volunteering his time as the vice president of PFARS, vice chair of the Princeton C.A.R.E.S. committee, and a leader of the PMS PTO. A typical weekend for Ari involves lots of parenting, with five children and an activity schedule that requires advanced Excel skills to manage, and then reporting for an overnight shift at PFARS. He seems to have endless bandwidth to take on new tasks and he is equally willing to engage on matters large and small where something needs to be done. For example, he lobbied for and then conducted the first advanced first aid training for all PPS school nursing staff in case a student or teacher sustains a traumatic injury, and he also coordinates the sale and ordering of all PMS spirit wear.
In the near future, the Board of Education will be faced with several particularly impactful decisions: hiring a new superintendent, assessing the projected impact of new housing, and launching capital intensive building projects that will involve making major alterations to our schools. If elected to the Princeton Board of Education, I have no doubt that Ari will find ways to improve our school district in ways that will benefit students and families, and that we will all see and hear from him as he does so.