Meet Scott Sigel: Candidate for Ridgefield Board of Education
How has your personal/professional background prepared you for this role?
My parents always taught me to get in the arena and not be a spectator. Education has been a common thread in my life alongside my career. After I finished my undergraduate degree, I volunteered with mentorship programs, coaching and fundraising for empowerment organizations (e.g. YearUp and RowNewYork), especially in under-resourced and under-served neighborhoods. I also taught business fundamentals at an accredited institution to adults looking to upskill or break into tech.
Professionally, I’ve spent my career in venture and innovation, working in highly dynamic teams serving large audiences. As a CEO I’ve led my current organization through growth and change, managed and rotated a Board of Directors, and know how to align vision, budgets, and outcomes.
Most importantly, I’ve got a five-year-old and a three-year-old so I’ve got skin in the game. I want the best for them, for their friends, and for my community.
What do you think the Board’s greatest strengths are and how will you build on them?
I believe in protecting what works. We have healthy discourse and debate on issues such as cell phones and social media. The fact that important topics are surfacing and that the Board is thinking about the broad population is positive. However, I’d like to see greater efficiencies, including better means for the Board to synthesize parent sentiment and prioritizing issues based on aggregated feedback.
What are your top priorities for Ridgefield when you are elected?
First, there’s a body of evidence for existing issues that are concerning parents such as cell-phone use and school start times. The Board needs to stop acquiescing to excuses and push for action. Second, artificial intelligence is already upending the way students learn and will completely reshape career paths beyond high school. Ridgefield can’t afford to wait and needs to develop a strategy in consideration of one of the largest generational shifts in technology. Finally, it’s time to celebrate trade skills again and think more strategically about alternate pathways. We need to be open-minded and creative about what we expose kids to and build diverse curriculums that can support and encourage different skillsets.
How will you balance growth and progress while preserving Ridgefield’s character?
One of the things my wife and I absolutely love about Ridgefield is the community pride and support of local businesses. Every small retailer, farm, or restaurant is an opportunity to connect Ridgefield’s economy to its students – whether through volunteerism, internships, or otherwise, the district can expand learning pathways while fostering town pride in parallel. As Connecticut’s first cultural district, our town boasts thriving artistic institutions that are an incredible extension to our public schools and an asset for our students.
When it comes to the quality of classroom education, we cannot rest on our laurels. We must build towards a future where students are adaptable and innovative, but maintain a focus on traditional principles like interpersonal communication to ensure our students can build healthy relationships and assert themselves with confidence.
What are the key issues the Board faces?
Parents are already vocalizing concerns on consensus issues where the Board needs to push the district towards resolution one way or another. This also reflects in conversations I’ve had going door to door during this campaign. In general, time is a finite asset and the Board should be working with the district to help the community understand how and why issues are prioritized.
In being more proactive, the Board needs to push the district to think more creatively about our curriculum; not in a way that will disrupt students’ day-to-day, but for us to think more innovatively about the future-ready skills our students need.
What is your leadership style?
My colleagues would say that I’m direct, objective, and results-driven but approach all issues with empathy. I listen and look for areas of consensus to establish trust. I’m respectful to the person on the other side of the table and value healthy debate. I don’t procrastinate on decision making if there’s an opportunity to advance now and optimize later. Ultimately my role as a leader has been and continues to be understanding a population’s needs enough to prioritize work and deliver the greatest common good or value.
What does Ridgefield mean to you personally?
We’ve been in Ridgefield for just over a year, and it didn’t take long for us to fall in love. We’ve made great friends in a short period, built attachments to special places, and I can’t imagine ever leaving. I’m so humbled to have found my home here.
I’m coaching my daughter’s soccer team this fall, and love being an involved parent. I’m here to invest in my kids, my neighbors, and my community.
What is one thing voters might be surprised to learn about you?
While I treasure my leisure time in town, I love to compete. I rowed crew when I was in college, and continued with it through my professional life. I’ve run marathons, raced regattas, and cycled 100-mile century rides. I’ve even labored through a few all-night BBQ competitions. I think amateur competition is a healthy way to practice fortitude, perseverance, and overcoming adversity. Not everyone needs to be an athlete but I believe finding ways to incorporate fair competition into education builds confidence, character, and self-affirmation.
What sets you apart from your opponents?
I bring a fresh perspective and operational excellence from years as an executive. As a CEO, I report to a Board and acutely understand the type of output, efficiency, and accountability that leads to organizational success. My experience writing statute in federal legislation brings an understanding of what it takes to build consensus, find alignment, and push towards results. I’m a leader who respects today’s range of issues while pushing democrats towards centrist thinking and practical policy.
Why should Ridgefield trust you?
As a father of two young children entering the district, I can’t overstate how invested I am in our town’s schools. Professionally, I’m watching the pace of change accelerate through a lens of technology that’s affecting all walks of life. This town and our students deserve a proactive and innovative approach to education, one that leads from the front, rather than paying with interest to catch up while our children fall behind. I’ve had success working across disparate groups, listening with empathy, and overcoming obstacles that lead to positive outcomes. If I have the opportunity to serve Ridgefield, I will be driven by my professional integrity and devotion as a father.