Candidate Profile: Yvonne Helbert For Wilmington School Committee

WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington will have two contested races in the April 24 town election: one for two three-year terms on the School Committee and one for a two-year term on the committee. Wilmington Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Yvonne Helbert is running for the two-year seat on the School Committee. There are three people running for the seat. Helbert faces Justin Cusce and Melissa Plowman.

Helbert is a molecular biologist.

Are you running for office in Wilmington? Contact Christopher Huffaker at chris.huffaker@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Wilmington Patch.

Yvonne Helbert

Age (as of Election Day)

41

Position Sought

School Committee (2 year seat)

Family

John Helbert IV 1SG Army National Guard, Recruiting and Retention Battalion. Zoey Helbert 7th grader, Wilmington Pop Warner cheerleader, ECE cheerleader, and has been dancing at Wilmington Dance Academy for the past 9 years.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My husband is an active-duty Army National Guardsman and has proudly been serving our country for 26 years.

Education

BS in Biology Syracuse University, Master in Biochemistry Boston University School of Medicine

Occupation

I am currently a Sr. Scientist/R&D Manager at Medicinal Genomics and have 17 years experience in the field of molecular biology.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Currently serving as the Vice President/Secretary on the Wilmington Pop Warner board. I previously chaired the 182nd Infantry Family Readiness Group while my husband was deployed to Afghanistan. Responsibilities included communicating with all the family and friends of the deployed Soldiers and coordinating events to keep everyone connected and supported.

Campaign website

Facebook page, Yvonne Helbert for Wilmington School Committee

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am seeking a position on Wilmington School Committee to make sure our children get back into the classroom and remain in there in a safe manner utilizing fact-based science, in which my background and experience is based upon.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

All districts, including our own, must get our children back into the classroom and address any educational gaps created during the remote learning era. We as a town need to properly prepare our school system for the increased population surge we will see with the planned/proposed building of apartment complexes.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I bring a different level of perspective to this position as my background is neither in education nor public service. I have worked as a published Scientist in the field of Molecular Biology for the past 17 years. The last 10 of which have been with a small start-up company. Working at a start-up requires you to wear many hats, think critically and creatively in a team environment through collaboration with others. I also have first-hand experience maneuvering constant federal and several state regulatory changes. My experience will carry into the school system in a scientific analytical approach putting the voice of the parent's concerns and the children's needs at the forefront.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I feel like communication to the parents/guardians was sparse coming into this year. Communication from the school committee to the parents/guardians should flow freely and frequently.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My campaign platform is to take an analytical and scientific approach to getting kids back into the classroom in a safe method and keeping them there. We must also address the educational gaps created by the remote learning platform and work with teachers and parent to close those gaps.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I work at a start-up that is fast paced, team oriented, and accomplishment driven. Working at a start-up requires you to wear many hats, think critically and creatively in a team environment through collaboration with others. I also have first-hand experience maneuvering constant federal and state regulatory changes.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.