Mayling Simpson

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Mayling Simpson

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Longwood College, 1968

Ph.D

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1978

Personal

Birthplace

Louisville, Ky.

Profession

Senior health technical officer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Mayling Simpson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Colorado State Board of Education to represent Colorado's 3rd Congressional District. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Simpson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Mayling Simpson was born in Louisville, Kentucky. She obtained a bachelor's degree from Longwood College in 1968 and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978. Her professional experience includes working as a senior health technical officer at Catholic Relief Services in East Africa, as an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and as a senior technical officer for the World Health Organization.

Elections

2020

See also: Colorado State Board of Education election, 2020

General election

General election for Colorado State Board of Education District 3

Incumbent Joyce Rankin defeated Mayling Simpson in the general election for Colorado State Board of Education District 3 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joyce Rankin (R)	55.0	228,586
		Mayling Simpson (D)	45.0	187,326

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 415,912
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Colorado State Board of Education District 3

Mayling Simpson advanced from the Democratic primary for Colorado State Board of Education District 3 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mayling Simpson	100.0	86,132

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 86,132
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Colorado State Board of Education District 3

Incumbent Joyce Rankin advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Board of Education District 3 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joyce Rankin	100.0	89,350

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 89,350
= 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.

Endorsements

To view Simpson's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mayling Simpson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Simpson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a resident of Routt County, Colorado. I have more than 30 years experience working in public health in the USA and abroad. I have also been a teacher in high school and at college level and I have served on the Steamboat Springs School Board. I earned my teaching certificate and BA in Biology at Longwood University in Virginia and my PhD in Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I have been an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, a Senior Technical Officer at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland and a Senior Regional Health Advisor for Catholic Relief Services in East Africa, overseeing public health projects in six countries. I have experience in public health policy, school environmental health, prevention of infectious diseases, and community development. I have a strong commitment to public education and achieving equity for all students regardless of where they live.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I want to make Colorado public schools the strongest in the nation. I want to see us increase funding for school districts and teacher salaries.
• I want to increase graduation rates from 85% to 100% through better counseling and improving and increasing vocational training opportunities.
• I would like to have health clinics in every school or district to meet the needs of students, faculty and staff in immunizations, mental health and other ailments.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about all of our students being able to read and write at levels appropriate for their grade levels. We must put greater emphasis on reading skills, handwriting, composition and interpretation of written materials. I would like to see less standardized testing and more time spent on individual children. I would like to see more support for the professional development of teachers. I would like to see more scholarships given to students who want to become teachers and more financial aid to graduates who want to earn their teaching certificates. We must increase the pool of qualified teachers in Colorado.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

There are only seven members of the State Board of Education. These members hire the State Commissioner of Education who implements education policy set by the Board. The State Board of Education oversees the public school system, teacher certification requirements, adult education and the public library system. This Board is charged with keeping up with the latest developments in education and having a vision of the future. The Board needs to look ahead to see how today's children need to be prepared for the future, how adults can be retrained for a changing workplace and how our libraries can best serve our communities.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials should be authentic, open to new ideas, and have honesty and integrity. They should be good listeners and be dedicated to doing what is best for their constituents. As much as possible their decisions should be informed by science and reliable information.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Holders of this office should have historical perspective on the development of education in this country, to know why it has developed the way it has and which parts of our education system might need improving or changing. Office holders should be good listeners to all points of view and sensitive to cultural differences in the state. Holders should appreciate the commitment and sense of ownership that local communities have to their school districts. It is best if these office holders have some understanding of the need for teacher preparation in mental and behavioral health as well as their own subject areas and general teaching skills.

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.

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