By: Aimee Bingham Osinski
anbingham@gmail.com
I had the opportunity to get to know one of the new appointees to the Dexter Board of Education, Daniel Alabre.
Alabre spent 28 years in the army serving in five different countries. Upon retirement, his family was considering a move to the Ann Arbor area. He said that as they toured neighborhoods and schools, Dexter rose to the top as a place for his family to live and to enroll his children in school.
Alabre and his family have lived in Dexter for six years and, “couldn’t be happier with our choice of Dexter for our home.”
His son is a Dexter graduate and is starting college in the Fall. He has two daughters at Dexter high School, a freshman and a junior. Alabre is currently employed as a director for Pinkerton and his wife works with the Michigan Open initiative, which is focused on combating the Opioid epidemic in the US.
I wanted to know what made Alabre decide to join the Dexter Board of Education.
Alabre explained that he is the proud product of US public schools and universities and is aware of the importance of accessibility of public education and the opportunity to build a strong foundation for students to launch themselves into the world.
“I was very interested in Title IX questions and began attending more BOE meetings, asking questions, and educating myself on issues confronting the district,” he says. “Over the past 18 months, I have served as the community member of the DCS BOE financial committee, on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee. And have completed CBAs 102, 103, and 104.”
I asked Alabre what he hopes to accomplish on the Board and what issues are close to his heart that he hopes to impact.
“I plan to focus on all children’s education, not just those going to college,” he says. “And will strive to be as inclusive as possible. As our community continues to navigate this current pandemic, the safety and wellness of our children, teachers, staff and community at large will be foremost on my mind. Awareness of and access to mental health resources is another area of focus for me. As a first generation American who grew up bi-racial in a predominantly white school district, I believe I can offer a different perspective to the board.”
The final question I had for Alabre was about what special skills and talents he brings to the Board, through education or job experience.
“In the course of my military career, I was honored to serve in various command staff positions, as well as an American Diplomat in five U.S. embassies,” he said. “I learned the importance of hearing all positions around a topic and making decisions for the greater good. The importance of leadership by example, and making informed and unbiased decisions is what I believe I can bring to the table.”
