Chad Green is running for McKinney ISD board of trustees Place 6. Green said this is his only time running for an elected office. He is running against incumbent Stephanie O'Dell. Community Impact Newspaper sent Green a set of questions about his candidacy. This article is part of ongoing May 4 election coverage and does not constitute an endorsement of the candidate. His responses below have been edited for publication style.

Why are you running for McKinney ISD board of trustees Place 6?

I am running to help improve opportunities for our kids and to create an environment that pursues excellence.

What experience—professionally or politically—do you have that would prepare you for this position?

I have both a technology and education background. I have worked with CTB, McGraw-Hill, the NWEA and The Princeton Review developing products and working in business development. In Texas, I developed and managed the MSTAR program and TMSDS. I currently sit on several district science, technology, engineering and mathematics advisory boards, and I am a partner in Five Star Innovation, which partners with the military and school districts for robotics and coding competitions. These experiences have given me great insight into the current education space [and] also what is coming in the future.

If elected, what would your top priorities be for the district?

My top priority is being a voice for the community [through] leadership. I have often been on the receiving end where leaders refuse to respond or even accept a meeting request. Personally, I can commit to being a responsive leader. Second, I want to help drive opportunity and partnerships for MISD by actively working with companies in our area to identify the skills and certifications they need their employees to have so our kids can have strong careers right after high school. Third, I want to pursue strong internship programs for our students during high school. Fourth, I want the development of these certification tracks to be explored by our kids starting in elementary [school].

If elected, how would you help address those issues?

I would work with leadership to create a superintendents cup competition. I would then create an advisory board of local, state, national and international organizations and the military to provide input into our programs. I see this as helping solve the issues surrounding the debt without [a] degree issue. In the end, there is no substitute for hard work.

What do you see as the biggest challenges the district will face in the coming years?