Yun Lu

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Yun Lu

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 5

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Report an officeholder change

Education

Bachelor's

Peking University

Graduate

Iowa State University

Ph.D

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Personal

Profession

Mathematical statistician

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Yun Lu was a member of the Howard County Public Schools Board of Education in Maryland, representing District 5. She assumed office on December 7, 2020. She left office on December 2, 2024.

Lu ran for election to the Howard County Public Schools Board of Education to represent District 5 in Maryland. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.

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

Biography

Lu was born on February 20, 1973, in Beijing, China. She graduated from Peking University with a bachelor's degree. She went on to obtain her master's degree from Iowa State University. She also received her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Lu's professional experience includes working as a mathematical statistician for a federal public health agency. She also has taught math competition classes at Howard County Chinese School.

Elections

2020

See also: Howard County Public Schools, Maryland, elections (2020)

General election

General election for Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 5

Yun Lu defeated Cynthia L. Vaillancourt in the general election for Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 5 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yun Lu (Nonpartisan)	64.7	22,871
		Cynthia L. Vaillancourt (Nonpartisan)	34.9	12,321
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	142

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,334
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 5

Yun Lu and Cynthia L. Vaillancourt defeated Gene Ryan and Saif Rehman in the primary for Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 5 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yun Lu (Nonpartisan)	36.9	6,126
✔		Cynthia L. Vaillancourt (Nonpartisan)	23.5	3,907
	Submit photo	Gene Ryan (Nonpartisan)	23.1	3,841
		Saif Rehman (Nonpartisan)	16.5	2,743

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,617
= 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 Lu's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 29, 2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Yun Lu completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lu'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 Dr. Yun Lu. I arrived the U.S. as a graduate student with only two suit cases. I received my Ph.D in Biostatistics from Johns Hopkins University. I work as a statistician for a federal public health agency. My family moved to Howard County eight years ago for its diverse community and excellent school system. I came from a family of educators and I have been teaching math competition classes at Howard County Chinese School. I have two children in HCPSS and I am a passionate community volunteer and long-time PTA member. I am familiar with HCPSS budget by serving on the BOE operating budget review committee and I have procurement experience as a federal acquisition contracting officer's representative. I want to make sure that the school system spends tax payers' money wisely. I believe serving as a BOE member is about preparing children for their bright future - improving their academic achievement, physical well-being, as well as social-emotional readiness. As a statistician working for a federal public health agency, I have the experience and skill set to bring evidence-based decision making to the BOE. I can provide perspectives as a mother, a statistician, an educator, and a community volunteer.

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?

• Kids First! Make children our top priority.
• Promote evidence-based decision making and common sense.
• Spend tax payers' money wisely to improve education.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

One area of public policy that I am passionate about is to bring common sense and improved decision making to the BOE. The BOE should make decisions based on solid data and evidence, make sure benefits outweigh risks, and take into account input from stakeholders. As a statistician, I think the BOE should follow science and data to make sound decisions for the future of Howard County children. The process should be fair and transparent. The BOE needs to ensure that the committees are representative of the Howard County population.

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

I look up to Confucius. I would like to follow his example because he held very high standards for behavior. Below are from the Analects of Confucius:

"A gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity; a mean person seeks uniformity but not harmony. "
"There were four things from which the Master (Confucius) was entirely free. He made no arbitrary conjectures nor absolute certainties; he was never obstinate, never egotistic."

"A gentleman knows what is right; a mean person keeps his mind only on gains."

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

Sense of duty, fairness, and transparency are most important for an elected official. An elected official was elected to serve his/her constituents.

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

As a statistician working for a federal public health agency, I have the experience and skill set to bring change and evidence-based decision making to the BOE. I can provide fresh perspectives as a mother, an educator, a community volunteer, a minority, and a first generation immigrant.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. I have been working on incorporating these principles into my life: be proactive; begin with the end in mind; first things first; think win-win; seek first to understand, then to be understood; synergize; sharpen the saw, growth.

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

I believe the primary job of a school board member is to prepare all children for their bright future - improving their academic achievement, physical well-being, as well as social-emotional readiness.

Who are your constituents?

My constituents are Maryland State Howard County District 5 residents. However, the decisions of BOE directly impact the whole Howard County, including tens of thousands of children and their families and all Howard County communities.

What will you do to build a better relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

I would like to promote open and transparent communications to build a better relationship with parents in the district. It is essential to inform parents of important issues, seek input from parents, listen to their concerns, and encourage parental involvement. I plan to have more frequent communications with parents, including parents who are nonnative speakers. I think HCPSS committees need to be representative of Howard County population.

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

Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 5

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