Ricky Fai Mui

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

Ricky Fai Mui

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 14, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

United States Naval Academy, 2003

Graduate

Emory University Goizueta Business School, 2018

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

1997 - 2013

Personal

Birthplace

Sarasota, Fla.

Religion

Christian: Nondenominational

Profession

Management consultant

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign LinkedIn

Personal YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Ricky Fai Mui ran for election to the Montgomery County Board of Education to represent District 2 in Maryland. He lost in the primary on May 14, 2024.

Mui completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Ricky Fai Mui was born in Sarasota, Florida. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1997 to 2013. He earned a bachelor's degree from the United States Naval Academy in 2003, a graduate degree from Naval Postgraduate School in 2010, and a graduate degree from Emory University Goizueta Business School in 2018. His career experience includes working as a management consultant.

Elections

2024

See also: Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Montgomery County Board of Education District 2

Natalie Zimmerman defeated Brenda Diaz in the general election for Montgomery County Board of Education District 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Natalie Zimmerman (Nonpartisan)	56.6	228,609
		Brenda Diaz (Nonpartisan)	42.7	172,546
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	2,575

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 403,730
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Montgomery County Board of Education District 2

Natalie Zimmerman and Brenda Diaz defeated incumbent Rebecca Smondrowski, Ricky Fai Mui, and Aby Thioye in the primary for Montgomery County Board of Education District 2 on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Natalie Zimmerman (Nonpartisan)	46.6	62,708
✔		Brenda Diaz (Nonpartisan)	20.6	27,761
		Rebecca Smondrowski (Nonpartisan)	18.1	24,338
		Ricky Fai Mui (Nonpartisan)	7.7	10,341
		Aby Thioye (Nonpartisan)	6.9	9,340

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 134,488
= 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

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Mui in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ricky Fai Mui completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mui'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.

My name is Rick Mui. I am a former naval officer, and an industry professional, with a decade of experience in strategic business planning, logistics management, and financial management. As a concerned parent of 2 children in the Montgomery County Public School System, I am looking to serve the. Montgomery County community.

My education background started with a Systems Engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy. I continued building my academic knowledge with a M.S. in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. More recently, I earned my M.B.A. from Emory University. I will bring the culmination of this breadth of strategic business and financial management knowledge to help inform decisions with the Board of Education.

My industry experience includes a certification in Lean Six Sigma (Black Belt), signifying demonstrated mastery of reducing financial waste, a dedication to continuous improvement, the ability to think holistically and aptitude for risk management.

I have dedicated my academic and professional careers to developing and implementing improvements to the quality of life. Making processes easier to use, mitigating errors and revising programs to run more efficiently and at a lower cost is my passion.

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?

• Develop and implement policies that Respects our MCPS teachers.

  Offer continuous education, so our teachers can improve either breadth or depth of knowledge, which allows for both personal and professional growth. A higher trained teacher promotes the development of expanded perspectives; the ability to explain academic concepts from more relatable perspectives; resulting in students that grasp the lesson.

  The continuous education training makes the teacher much more competitive for elevated roles. In addition, the teacher would have up to date information to share with their students. This concept is required for many other professional fields.
• Student Accountability is a must. Education is a two-way street, where students must bring the willingness to learn. We must establish and enforce policies that help our students become competitive for future employment. MCPS students are our future leaders, engineers, scientists, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs. We must instill the academic foundations that will enable competitive entry into the future technologically-driven workforce. Holding out MCPS students accountable for their performance sets the appropriate expectations that employers seek. Our students must demonstrate literacy, comprehension of the sciences and mastery of critical thinking. I encourage dedicated time for hands on budgeting experiences like the Finance Park.
• Engage Parents. Parents must Trust and know to whom we place the hearts and minds of our children. Our children spend more time in school than in front of their parents. Most days, that school time is a relief for parents. However, as the statistics have clearly demonstrated, college readiness is abysmal, where approx half of our graduating students cannot demonstrate minimum proficiency at math or reading. We cannot graduate adults that are deficient to artificially boost numbers. These adults would find incredible challenge gaining employment and self sustainability in a high cost of living community such as MoCo. Parents and the community must have an active part in shaping our kids' future. Parents must fortify the MCPS standards.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I find the public policy process fascinating! The culmination of identifying the needs and operating parameters; the selection of leaders to guide and refined, and then the. implementation and outcome. These are some of the phase of Lean Six Sigma I enjoy most.

We have an opportunity here to give our kids a huge push forward. The ability of empathetic parents and business professionals working together to weigh and resolve roadblocks is what I had started to do and aspire to do on the Montgomery County Board of Education.

We have many big issues to debate on the adult world. For the children and young adults, we owe them Hope in a positive future. Knowledge has always been the key to success in life.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my parents. Their dedication and strict adherence to education. repetition and instilling into the children a moral compass, helped guide me through life's challenges.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Many classics have helped me expand my world view, from the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Tale of Two Cities, The Great Gatsby, The Outsiders, the works of Shakespeare, the Boy Scout Handbook, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, the One Minute Manager, to name a few. A well read person expands their consciousness to include the life experiences of the authors that frame their minds.

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

Elected Officials must represent our Trust, Values and Priorities. I represent the wishes of Parents, Students and Teachers, who wish to develop the academic and moral foundation for our children, such that they may find a productive career following graduation.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I bring together the culmination of hard earned technical experience, unparalleled professionalism, and an enthusiasm to connect with my community. I enjoy public speaking which increases my accessibility. I seek input to help me make decisions. I also delight in oversight, tracking metrics and performances. I have focused my career on developing skills that can be applied to benefit my community.
I also hold myself responsible for delivering quality.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Elected Officials must be responsive to our needs.

My commitment to reach the parents of our County will not end up on election. I intend to visit the schools and speak with the PTAs, School admin and observe teachers in the classroom, to get first hand understanding of the needs and gaps.

Perhaps the best practice may be to speak to the kids themselves, as young kids are brutally honest.

What legacy would you like to leave?

These kids today are our future. I want to ensure I performed my best part to ensure Montgomery County's children have a potentially bright future. They count on us now.. We'll be counting on them in the future to extend our life, cure diseases, and be. our leaders.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

My parents woke up the three kids in the middle of the night and took us on a long bus ride across the Florida state to Cape Canaveral. I must of been 5 or 6 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at McDonalds, eventually promoting to Crew Trainer. I worked at McDonalds for 3 years during high school.
I learned the policies inside and out and ensure I stayed in sanitation compliance throughout my shift. I learned new ways to be more efficient, and with time I built up my speed and competence.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I enjoy Taylor Swift songs. She incorporates a clear narration, a catchy beat, and an addictive chorus track.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggle with the idea that communities elect the incorrect leaders, who misguide due to political pressures or allow cronyism to take place. Worst yet, we see dishonesty in broad light of day, with little effort to even cover it up.. as some officials ( hired or elected) feel they are above the rule of law.
I do not support racial or cultural intolerance, the use of drugs, or the over-sexualization of children.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The Board of Education determine the overarching and strategic business Policies by which MCPS operates and utilized funding. I would participate in codifying how we proportion resources to meet our common objectives.

Who are your constituents?

By far, the largest constituent population is the the Students. The School Board and MCPS exists solely to educate our children and respond to their academic and social development needs. We do not produce robots, but rather graduates that can engage in the global workforce and /or are college bound.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

Students are unique, with their individual personalities. Unfortunately, we do not have sufficient teachers for each student to get a private tutor. We can offer flexible learning tracks. A Teacher-Para-educator pair allows classroom flexibility for students to receive instruction from the teacher while simultaneously receive focus support from a para-educators circulating around the classroom. This enables a significant more instructor touch time.
An additional benefit the para-educator role is a solid introduction for perspective full time teachers or utilization of retired teachers, who can add value to the classroom.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

Hold hearings in their community location. Nothing compares to being at the location to receive first hand experiences, potentially providing insight you cannot replicate in reports.
Hold meetings when more community members can attend.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

We all measure success by the outcome. Many times we compare a before and after knowledge level. If students demonstrate retention and comprehension via exams or are able to convey a message via a written or spoken work, these may qualify as an objectively proven measure.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

We need our students to be globally competitive for the 21st Century. There have been hugh technological advances in biotechnology, medical sciences, manufacturing, engineering, music and computer sciences. our curriculum must incorporate these industry fields as the goal standard.
My children have entered multiple robotics and design competitions. MCPS could easily host more competitions to ignite a higher love for learning. This has been tested in multiple school districts.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

We have a $3.3 Billion operating budget. Using my experience gained through business and finance management, I will help identify where money is expended and determine if it directly contributed to education or peripheral expenditures. We simply cannot afford the uncontrolled spending.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

I want our kids to return home alive and unhurt. In order to focus on academics, reading and writing, our kids count on the adults to ensure a safe learning environment. Keep drugs, alcohol, and vaping/smoking out of our schools.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

All teachers are human and require some time to decompress, attend a medical appointment, or take an emergency trip. We must support our staff. A policy may be for all teachers to keep a prepared lesson plan for all classes, such that substitute teacher can easily implement on their behalf.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

Remove the 50% Rule, where a student does not to complete a test or assignments, in order to receive no less than 50% participation-optional credit
This did a huge disservice to kids that actually try.. a student that does not make an attempt could potentially score the same or higher score..

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Most of the organizations to which I participate are 501(c)3, so no official endorsements are permitted. I am actively seeking endorsements from MD Secretary of State Susan Lee, members of the Rockville and Gaithersburg City Council, PTAs, and local civic groups.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

Small classroom size, with a combination of instructional delivery and time for debate or querying. By exchanging ideas, we help solidify concepts faster and with higher retention.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

My kids only received a few hours of zoom time, with lots of background noise, and a short hands-on activity. The lack of homework allows many kids the flexibility of choosing video games or TV. We have a short video to help build competency, I will not squander it.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

Parents that routinely showman interest may gravitate to the local PTA. Invite PTAs to speak at a Board of Education committee meeting, or better yet, I would attend PTA meetings as a Board of Education Member.
Fully utilize social media or email to keep the dialogue and input options open.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

Offer continuous education opportunities. Merit based promotion or salary increases serve to sharpen our teacher's delivery.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Transparency on where, how much and why we spend billions is a must. The pandemic made millions of emergency funding available. Since COVID, MCPS has been accustomed to unfettered spending. I will support an immediate and comprehensive audit to ensure taxpayer money is spent on what it is intended for.

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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Candidate

Montgomery County Board of Education District 2

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