Danielle Tomwing
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Danielle Tomwing is an at-large member of the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education in Colorado. She assumed office on December 5, 2023. Her current term ends in 2027.
Tomwing ran for election for an at-large seat of the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education in Colorado. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.
Tomwing completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Danielle Tomwing was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago in 1999. Her professional experience includes working as the senior manager of IT Operations.[1]
Elections
2023
See also: Aurora Public Schools, Colorado, elections (2023)
General election
General election for Aurora Public Schools Board of Education At-large (3 seats)
Incumbent Vicki Reinhard, Danielle Tomwing, and Tiffany Tasker defeated Max Garcia and Maria Saucedo in the general election for Aurora Public Schools Board of Education At-large on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Vicki Reinhard (Nonpartisan)  | 25.4 | 21,504 |
| ✔ |  | Danielle Tomwing (Nonpartisan) | 24.8 | 20,966 |
| ✔ | Tiffany Tasker (Nonpartisan) | 22.7 | 19,222 | |
 | Max Garcia (Nonpartisan) | 15.9 | 13,424 | |
| Maria Saucedo (Nonpartisan) | 11.2 | 9,449 | ||
| Total votes: 84,565 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Tomwing received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Tomwing's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.
- State Sen. Rhonda Fields (D)
- State Rep. Naquetta Ricks (D)
- Bryan Lindstrom (D) - State Rep. cand.
- Arapahoe County, Colo., Democratic Party
- Aurora, Colo., Education Association
- Colorado Education Association
- Colorado Black Women for Political Action
2021
See also: Aurora Public Schools, Colorado, elections (2021)
General election
General election for Aurora Public Schools Board of Education At-large (4 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Aurora Public Schools Board of Education At-large on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Anne Keke (Nonpartisan) | 20.1 | 19,461 |
| ✔ |  | Michael Carter (Nonpartisan) | 18.4 | 17,801 |
| ✔ |  | Debra Gerkin (Nonpartisan) | 17.9 | 17,291 |
| ✔ |  | Tramaine Duncan (Nonpartisan) | 15.2 | 14,751 |
 | Christy Cummings (Nonpartisan) | 14.5 | 14,047 | |
| Danielle Tomwing (Nonpartisan) | 13.9 | 13,485 | |
| Total votes: 96,836 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Marques A. Ivey (Nonpartisan) (Unofficially withdrew)
Endorsements
To view Tomwing's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2023
Danielle Tomwing completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tomwing's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I was born in Trinidad and Tobago and attended the University of the West Indies, completing a Bsc. Computer Science and Business Management degree. I have been living in Northwest Aurora with my husband and 2 daughters for over 14 years and became a US citizen in 2019. Our daughters attend school in Aurora Public Schools. I have over 4 years of school board governance experience, serving a student population consisting of kids from diverse backgrounds and cultures, in particular under-served kids in the Aurora school community. I have 15 years of professional leadership experience and currently a director at a national healthcare organization, building and leading teams both globally and nationwide.
I have been serving on the District Accountability Advisory Committee (DAAC) for APS for over 2 years and continue to be involved in the community, advocating for our youth. I am an active member of the African Leadership Group (ALG) parent committee and had the honor of moderating this year’s Afrik Impact Education Forum.
- I am a dedicated community leader who continues to advocate for all of our kids and their education. I am running because investing in our kids and their education is fundamental to elevate all of them. Our education system must work for each of them. All of our kids deserve a fair shot no matter where their story began. Investing in education means investing in our kids, our community, our country and our future.
- Our Aurora families need a dedicated support system. By making our schools the anchor for our community we can continue to strengthen our community relationships and partners - providing increased accessibility to a wealth of resources and support systems for our kids, their families and our teachers. It’s about having kids, parents, teachers, school leaders, community leaders, representatives from our community providing public services and the business community, all in the same space, sharing resources to support our kids, teachers and their families - building a community of trust and collaboration.
- Aurora is rich in diversity. We need to be intentional and actionable in fostering a space of equity and inclusion to effectively meet the needs of our diverse student population. Creating a true culture of inclusion is a commitment that starts from the top of any organization and a mindset that needs to be embedded in everything that we do. It starts with seeing each of our kids for who they are. It means understanding how their socio-economic background, cultures and beliefs impacts how they see the world and how the world sees them. It means understanding how each of their stories defines them and their journey. It means understanding the barriers specific to each of our families.
Our students are struggling to read at grade level and meet proficiency in mathematics with our most vulnerable student population continuing to be negatively impacted the most. Our students’ academic performance has not returned to pre-pandemic performance levels.
I am passionate about policies that ensure we are culturally responsive to our students to meet their diverse needs. Aurora’s students are from 160 countries and such diversity should continue to be celebrated and acknowledged throughout the district which includes ensuring it is embedded in our policies. Our policies should be written through the lens of inclusion, policies that impact both our students and teachers. For example, policies that ensure funding is given to those grades and schools with the highest need towards closing the equity gap, reviewing our disciplinary policies to ensure they are not further negatively impacting our most vulnerable students or policies that impact how our teachers feel seen or included.
I am passionate about policies that ensure we are culturally responsive to our students to meet their diverse needs. Aurora’s students are from 160 countries and such diversity should continue to be celebrated and acknowledged throughout the district which includes ensuring it is embedded in our policies. Our policies should be written through the lens of inclusion, policies that impact both our students and teachers. For example, policies that ensure funding is given to those grades and schools with the highest need towards closing the equity gap, reviewing our disciplinary policies to ensure they are not further negatively impacting our most vulnerable students or policies that impact how our teachers feel seen or included.
My mom. My mom has been a pillar of strength and stability for my sisters and I. She taught me what it looks like to sacrifice for those you love and how even with nothing, you can feel like you have everything. In her own quiet way, she rallied for us with a community of strong outspoken women. She never made us feel like we were not going to make it. It was almost like that was not an option. In many ways my mom and I are not alike, but she instilled in us the importance of having a community or knowing who is at your “kitchen table”. She is my moral compass and those values I carry with me no matter where I am. I was also lucky to have strong women role models growing up – my grandmothers, aunts, teachers, and extended family. As a young girl they made sure I knew my worth and that having a strong education and being independent was everything. As a first generation American with daughters growing up in America, you are sometimes walking the line between instilling the values from your culture and the world they are growing up in.
To answer this question, I think of leaders I admire and the characteristics that come to mind are authenticity, humility, and servant leadership. Humility means they lead with an open heart and mind with a willingness to listen and learn from others and leaning in to the ideas or perspectives that are different from yours. This opens up a world of innovation and progress.
Their authenticity builds trust because their community knows where they stand on issues, and they are genuine in their approach. They are servant leaders, driven to understand the needs of their community and not only serving those around you but doing what you can to uplift them.
Their authenticity builds trust because their community knows where they stand on issues, and they are genuine in their approach. They are servant leaders, driven to understand the needs of their community and not only serving those around you but doing what you can to uplift them.
I have a genuine love for listening to others and hearing their stories and things they are passionate about. Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago and having a job opportunity that required working internationally with over 50 nationalities for almost 4 years, I have always been immersed in diversity which has given me a cultural competency, life experience and appreciation to understand how their story has affected them. I have been both humbled and feel incredibly privileged by the richness their relationships and stories and how they have impacted me.
I have 15 years of professional leadership experience working with teams globally and I am always eager to mentoring others and help them grow. My leadership experience includes collaborating with leaders in national and international organizations to drive initiatives and support strategic vision. I pride myself in surrounding myself with brilliant and passionate people. As a leader I think it is always important to acknowledge when you do not know something but to be constantly curious, to learn from those around you and elevate their ideas.
I have 15 years of professional leadership experience working with teams globally and I am always eager to mentoring others and help them grow. My leadership experience includes collaborating with leaders in national and international organizations to drive initiatives and support strategic vision. I pride myself in surrounding myself with brilliant and passionate people. As a leader I think it is always important to acknowledge when you do not know something but to be constantly curious, to learn from those around you and elevate their ideas.
I think the historical event that resonates with me is the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. I would have been 13 years old at this time. 13 years old is milestone in a young girl’s life. You start seeing how different you are from others around you and more aware of family dynamics. For me it was a rapid and tough awakening of what I had known to be the truth up until then - that life is not a movie with happy endings and people are complicated and those closest to you have layers. Suddenly things are no longer black and white. So, with this array of emotions and personal turmoil, the world around you begin to look different, and it struck a chord that these students who were speaking out and peacefully protesting were killed so they can be silenced. The harsh reality being that they were murdered by their government. At 13 I started to question my reality and everything around me.
I had several jobs while I was in high school and college. My first job while I was in high school was a cashier at a local pizza parlor during summer. I also taught swimming to kids at the local swimming pool and camp coordinator for a sports summer camp.
I worked at a bakery after completing my college degree. I remember being anxious to start my career as a software engineer and after sending out numerous resumes and applications, I worked at a local bakery for about 6 months. I remember feeling disappointed that I could not get a job in my field right away but the family who gave me this opportunity was very supportive and ended up coaching me and boosting my confidence. It was incredible hard work and long hours which instills strong work ethics - life skills I took with every job opportunity afterwards.
I worked at a bakery after completing my college degree. I remember being anxious to start my career as a software engineer and after sending out numerous resumes and applications, I worked at a local bakery for about 6 months. I remember feeling disappointed that I could not get a job in my field right away but the family who gave me this opportunity was very supportive and ended up coaching me and boosting my confidence. It was incredible hard work and long hours which instills strong work ethics - life skills I took with every job opportunity afterwards.
I think at this time in my life Wonder Woman comes to mind. She embodies strength with strong moral values to advocate for others while struggling to understand her own sense of humanity. She understands she is different, which comes with feeling awkward and never really fitting in and standing out can be both a blessing and a curse. As women we are taught to be everything all the time, at the same time. It is an impossible ask and trying leads to feeling as though you failed yourself and all those around you. I am not Wonder Woman, but I learnt that all aspects of your life may collide at the same time but knowing who is at your kitchen table, who you can be most vulnerable with and who will always rally for you, is what makes me Wonder Woman... some days.
A school board member’s responsibility is to support the Superintendent and leadership team to be successful in carrying out the vision of the district and ensuring they have the support and resources needed to execute the district’s strategic plan. The job of the school board members is also to ensure policies and processes are implemented which align with the district’s vision towards high academic achievement and education excellence for all our students.
The board needs to ensure decisions are fiscally responsible, data-driven and more transparent so the school community feels confident in the district’s decision. Often the school community understands what the district’s decision is but lacks an understanding of why or how the decision was made. The board serves and advocates for students and teachers and should feel confident that every decision made their voices and concerns were part of it.
The board needs to ensure decisions are fiscally responsible, data-driven and more transparent so the school community feels confident in the district’s decision. Often the school community understands what the district’s decision is but lacks an understanding of why or how the decision was made. The board serves and advocates for students and teachers and should feel confident that every decision made their voices and concerns were part of it.
My constituents are the Aurora community. Education impacts everyone, not only those who are currently in the education system. Investing in our education means investing in our kids, our community, and our country. Investing in our people should always be a priority. My key constituents are the students, teachers and parents. It is important that we create safe spaces and opportunities for their voices to be heard and included in our solutions. Open healthy dialogue that is facilitated to encourage all opinions and to actively engage those who might not otherwise be heard is something I am particularly passionate about.
We need to be more creative on how we can increase community engagement not only so we can understand their diverse needs, but they can be part of the solution. Our approach needs to be very intentional and creative with outreach and messaging. We need to meet parents, families, our community where they are at, and continue to work towards building genuine relationships throughout our school community whether it be through family and community ambassadors who represent our school communities with the correct system in place that removes language barriers.
We need to intentionally seek out teachers and staff who represent our students. Diversity is multifaceted and Aurora’s diversity reflects this. The district can be strategic about retaining diverse teachers by providing additional support systems and creating safe places to elevate their voice. The district can help them partner with mentors and align them with groups that coach them to advocate for themselves and grow their career. When they are empowered, they are more engaged and more invested. I would also support the Superintendent and leadership to ensure policies and processes are reviewed and updated to be culturally responsive.
We need to intentionally seek out teachers and staff who represent our students. Diversity is multifaceted and Aurora’s diversity reflects this. The district can be strategic about retaining diverse teachers by providing additional support systems and creating safe places to elevate their voice. The district can help them partner with mentors and align them with groups that coach them to advocate for themselves and grow their career. When they are empowered, they are more engaged and more invested. I would also support the Superintendent and leadership to ensure policies and processes are reviewed and updated to be culturally responsive.
Senator Rhonda Fields
Colorado State Representative Naquetta Ricks
Aurora Education Association
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Tomwing completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
2021
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released October 16, 2021 |
Danielle Tomwing completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tomwing's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I was born in Trinidad and Tobago, twin islands in the Caribbean, where my mother, a high school teacher, raised four girls. I migrated to Colorado in 2008. My family has lived in North Aurora since 2010 and I became a US citizen in 2019 and voted for the first time in 2020. I am a working mom of two girls who attend elementary school in Aurora Public Schools. I am presently working full-time as a Senior Manager of IT Operations, with over 10 years of leadership experience working with leaders and teams globally. I have over 2 years of experience serving on the board at my daughters' school and I am actively serving as the Board Chair. During this time we have raised teacher's salaries, implemented free before and after school care and significantly increased the cash reserve. Serving on the board at my daughters' school has given me incredible insight into the challenges our school community faces daily as well as the opportunities that come with serving a student population consisting of students who come from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
- I believe in providing options for academic and educational programs to support the diverse needs of our students, no matter what their socio-economic status, helping them discover their path and develop life skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and creativity, as well as focusing on building core virtues and character development. These options are the foundation to understanding that our students learn differently and towards supporting their growth.
- I believe in strengthening our school community. It is our role to provide the resources for our school community to be successful. These resources include facilities, infrastructure, financial budgets and oversight. We need to make it a priority to retain talented teachers by investing in them with training and certification as well as competitive salaries, benefits and giving them opportunities to feel empowered by having a voice at the table. Teacher engagement plays a key role in strengthening our support system. Collaboration with our school community brings ideas from diverse backgrounds with a wealth of experience and ensuring they have the tools to be successful can only strengthen us.
- I believe in innovation and continuous improvement. Innovation and continuous improvement ensures we are always looking ahead and re-evaluating our progress. The APS board of education is responsible for setting the vision and collaborating with stakeholders to define what success looks like. Our stakeholders consist of everyone who makes up our school community. A key is to set SMART goals and have measurable outcomes at each milestone. It is our responsibility to make data centric informed decisions and be open to ideas and opinions different from each other. Through honest feedback and retrospectives we take action towards continuously improving and always asking “What’s next?”. This means taking ownership.
I am passionate about policies that not only support our school community but allows each student to thrive regardless of where they live, gender, ability, interests or any number of other defining factors we bestow on them. Policies that promote equity. Each of our students deserve education excellence which means understanding and embracing each others differences - racial, gender, ethnic, cultural, sexual orientation and neuro-diversity. This mindset has to start from all levels of leadership and be fostered in our policies, be part of our decisions, our dialogue in our community and conversations we have in the classroom. It plays a role in retaining diverse talented teachers and leader. Equity means shifting priorities and resources to those that need it the most; ensuring disadvantaged kids are given the additional support they need for achievement- physical resources, emotional and academic support.
It means giving a voice to others who are marginalized. It means us going to them and asking questions and being ready to listen even if the conversation is difficult. It means servant-leadership.
It means giving a voice to others who are marginalized. It means us going to them and asking questions and being ready to listen even if the conversation is difficult. It means servant-leadership.
When I reflect on those individuals in my personal life or pubic figures that I admire as leaders there are certain characteristics they do share. Whether intentional or not they all practice servant leadership. A leadership philosophy that simply means a leader is there to serve others as opposed to people are there to serve them. This type of leader demonstrates humility in the way they work. Not usually a quality we align with those that make the executive decisions but to me it is a characteristic that lends itself to all others that any leader in any position, including an elected official, should encompass. Characteristics of servant leadership such as listening to others and empathy can lead to not only understanding the needs of our community but fosters open dialogue. As a leader you continue to grow and invest in others even if it means they out grow you. You genuinely want them to succeed and evolve by reaching their fullest potential and you are committed to developing each individual. Fostering collaboration is a key characteristic of servant leadership. It means ensuring everyone has a voice in the table especially those whose voices are often drowned out by others dominating the conversation. It is also important that elected officials facilitate difficult conversations and healthy conflict. Differing opinions and ideas should be encouraged to help bring diverse perspectives and as a result innovative solutions. Finally, taking ownership and accountability for both the success as well as the failures of those you lead is equally important.
The first historical event that I recall was the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. I was 13 years old. I am half Cantonese - both my parents are half Cantonese, White and Black. From a young age we were taught to be proud of our Chinese culture. I recall this event being the first time I was exposed to such a dark side of where my family, my grandfather came from. It might have been one of the the first times I paid attention to international news because I was having a hard time understanding the cruelty of was being shown - thousands of young unarmed students being crushed by tanks. These images were splattered across the cover of Time magazine and National Geographic. The injustice was brutal but the courage of those students was beautiful and is forever imprinted on my mind.
Million To One by Camila Cabello from the Amazon Prime Cinderella movie. I have 2 little girls and every week we try to have a family movie night, with popcorn and pajamas. It's one of those simple things that we enjoy as a family.
The board supports the vision and mission of the district within the guidance of defined policies. This includes ensuring our leaders and educators of the district are successful by providing the resources and support they need. The board reviews and updates the strategic plan and policies to ensure they are relevant and determine if we need to change direction. It is about asking the right questions to ensure those who are supporting and implementing the plan, such as the superintendent, have the resources they need to be successful and to verify procedures are being followed in accordance with our policies which leads to informed decisions. A key role of the board is also to seek diverse sources of funding and oversee that funds are being allocated in the areas that were prioritized all within the boundaries of financial policies and documented processes. A school board member should encourage healthy dialogue across our community, bringing different ideas to the table which leads to innovative solutions and data-centric decisions.
Having role models that reflect the diversity of our students helps them solidify their identity and builds self-confidence. Each teacher brings with them their own stories and experiences that help them connect and empathize with students. Diverse staff means diverse ideas and creative solutions. Diversity strengthens our understanding of who we all are and exposes us to different perspectives leading to compassion, humility and understanding the needs of others.
We need to encourage having open dialogue on why this is important and training staff on what diversity means to their students and to them. Educators should be trained on the concept of unconscious bias and the importance of acknowledging theirs in order to re-learn our behaviors. Training needs to include understanding the different types of diversity - cultural, racial, ethnic, gender and neuro-diveristy, for example and how these should be seen as strengths and resources in our community. Changing this mindset needs to done at all levels throughout the district, starting at the top - the board.
We need to encourage having open dialogue on why this is important and training staff on what diversity means to their students and to them. Educators should be trained on the concept of unconscious bias and the importance of acknowledging theirs in order to re-learn our behaviors. Training needs to include understanding the different types of diversity - cultural, racial, ethnic, gender and neuro-diveristy, for example and how these should be seen as strengths and resources in our community. Changing this mindset needs to done at all levels throughout the district, starting at the top - the board.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
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Candidate Aurora Public Schools Board of Education At-large |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 19, 2021
