Michelle Glenn Young Seeking Election to State College Area School Board

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Michelle Glenn Young, a retired U.S. Navy commander and a mother of three sons, is seeking election to the State College Area School Board this year.

She is cross-filed on the Democratic and Republican ballots for the May 18 primary election.

Young, who was born in Taiwan into a military family with American and Chinese roots, served 22 years in the Navy before retiring in 2015 and moving to State College area with her family. After being commissioned in 1993, she served tours of duty on two aircraft carriers making deployments in the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific. Young completed several tours ashore at various headquarters, managing programs with budgets of $995 million and supervising more than 400 people, according to a press release.

“As a career Naval officer and leader, I feel it is important to put programs and policies in place that encourage our children to learn and engage in logic-based critical thinking, creativity and positive interpersonal collaboration; all with the intent to improve problem solving skills,” she said.

She received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, San Diego and earned two master’s degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School and the U.S. Marine Corps University.

Young now lives in Ferguson Township with her husband, also a retired Navy officer, and three sons, two of whom attend Delta Middle School and one of whom is a student at Ferguson Township Elementary.

She said her second career as a stay-at-home mother and volunteer with the district and youth sports gives her a unique perspective.

“I believe the best predictor of a child’s success is the extent to which families encourage all learning and involve themselves in their children’s academic and personal development,” she said.

Young has served on the Ferguson Township Elementary PTO executive board for the last five years and substitutes as a paraprofessional in the district. She is a parent advisor for the Delta Middle Student Advisory Council and chairs the SCASD Citizens Advisory Committee for Technology.

She added that she is “experienced in navigating SCASD special education and gifted policies and procedures taking specific interest in helping fellow special needs parents navigate the SCASD system.”

Young also provides support for State College Youth Wrestling, State College Lions Youth Football and State College Little League.

She said her ability to identify with many people of varying backgrounds will help her “represent different groups in our community and ensure that others have a voice in the SCASD decision-making process to close achievement and opportunity gaps.”

Young added that her experience managing multi-million dollar programs “can help influence the fiscal health of the district and how taxpayer money is spent,” and that her communication and listening skills will help “facilitate stronger ties between the school board and other community stakeholders.”

“I am committed to fostering the intellectual and personal growth of students, inspiring them to lead a purposeful life,” she said. “We accomplish this by instilling in them strong moral characteristics such as integrity, courage, fortitude, work ethic, and gratitude so they are able to flourish in an ever-changing global society.”

Young is one of seven candidates seeking four State College Area School Board seats up for election this year. She is joined by Deborah Anderson, Peter Buck, Carline Crevecoeur, Jackie Huff, David Hutchinson and Dawn Lorenz. Each candidate is cross-filed on both primary ballots.

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