MEET
Andrew
“For thirteen years, I’ve been a parent and volunteer in our public schools. Every day, I’ve seen our educators, support staff and parents uplift our students and contribute to our vibrant communities. I want to work with you to ensure a safe, supportive school environment where all DeKalb students can have a strong start in life. That's why I'm running."
I can be summed up in two words: problem solver. I spent my childhood in Florida building engineering creations and reassembling electronics which led to a successful 20+ year career as an IT professional, Since then, I turned a side hustle into a multi-million dollar facilities management and commercial real estate investment career, Throughout my 30 year professional career, I've focused on finding solutions to the problems in front of me. I'm a firm believer in leading by example and contributing to others.
I graduated from the University of Florida College of Engineering in 1992. In my first career in IT, I delivered the world’s first Internet Banking software. I traveled the world implementing online banking platforms for banks and insurance companies such as ABN AMRO, Zurich Financial Services, CitiBank, and State Farm. Through this experience, I learned first hand how major financial institutions and our US financial systems are managed.
In 2003, after several years of buying and self-managing my own rental properties on a part-time basis, I left the IT world to build a real estate business. I own and manage a large number of commercial properties, including multi-family and commercial facilities.
I’ve served on the board of the Georgia Real Estate Investors Association and hold a Real Estate Broker's license in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. In 2018, I joined Greenleaf Capital as a Partner, which owns and manages a portfolio of about 70 real estate properties. Greenleaf has bought and sold about at $750 million dollars in Real Estate. As a Managing Partner, I am responsible for helping oversee the business of 60 employees.
I’ve lived in Dunwoody with my wife, Janet, and my son, August, for the past 17 years. Before then, I lived in Chamblee for 12 years.
I’m most proud of the work I’ve done to improve our communities.
I am a 13-year active volunteer and parent within the DeKalb County Schools in District One. I was elected to two Principal Advisory Councils, volunteered on the Peachtree Middle School Foundation and was a part-time volunteer and Technology Committee chair at Dunwoody Elementary.
I co-founded the all-parent volunteer cross-cluster school communication network in Region 1, the Peachtree Gateway Council on Schools (PGCS), which shares news and hosts events for parents and the community about policy and planning issues affecting schools across the DeKalb County School District. I served as Vice President and the Dunwoody representative for a number of years.
August was diagnosed with a rare medical condition at three months old. At the time he was diagnosed, only a few hundred people in the world had been identified with this disease. Doctors on the forefront of treatment were in desperate need of research funding and there was no support structure for families living with this condition. I helped organize and create a non-profit that formed a support community for families. The PHACE Syndrome Community still survives today and is over a decade old.
I’ve also been involved in a number of DeKalb community organizations focused on improving the lives of children and families. One recent project was collecting used computers and printers that would be repurposed and given to low-income families with school-age children. I am also a graduate of Leadership DeKalb, Class of 2020.
Through these experiences, I have seen firsthand all aspects of DeKalb School's triumphs and missteps. I am ready to help govern the state’s third-largest school district and I know how to fix our school district’s problems with fiscal responsibility, facilities management, and building successful teams and thriving organizational cultures.