Margaret Feeney
STAMFORD — Margaret Feeney has the word “innovation” in her job title, so it’s no surprise she hopes to bring new technology to Stamford’s schools. Feeney is running for one of the three open seats on the Stamford Board of Education in the Nov. 5 election. She is one of three Republicans on the ticket, and the Stamford resident said she’d make technology a top priority.
“I’m in this role at work where I’m head of innovation and I fit in this place where I have this view into the future of technology,” she said. “There are some lessons there that are very applicable to all school systems and the Stamford school system as well.”
For starters, she wants to make sure all students have access to at least one device.
And she’d like to add more technologyfocused extracurricular activities for students, as well as do a technology assessment of the entire district.
“What I want to do is work with parents, teachers and make sure that we are just as competitive in providing access to technology for our students,” she said.
Feeney is the head of innovation in the United States for a local investment bank. She would not name her employer, because she said she was not allowed to use them as part of her campaign, but many online sources, including her LinkedIn page, list her as working at NatWest Markets.
The 37yearold Shippan resident serves on the advisory board of Rutgers University’s Big Data Program, is a board member of Stamford Innovation Week and chair of the board for Innovate Stamford. She is also one of 12 members of Connecticut’s Working Group on Blockchain.
In 2010, Feeney founded Feeney Farm, a nonprofit that collected excess fruits and vegetables from farms in New York and Connecticut and distributed it to shelters and organizations in Fairfield County. She started the farm after her father passed away from pancreatic cancer, and initially donated the food grown at the farm to cancer survivors at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport.
Eventually, the nowdefunct organization served 1,200 families.
If elected, Feeney said she wants to make the Board of Education more efficient, saying meetings often drag on for too long as topics are discussed sometimes for hours.
So how do you accomplish that?
For her, it’s about collaborating with board members, as well as coming up with rules that are designed to keep discussion flowing and perhaps even cut off talks after a time limit.
Feeney does not present herself as having all of the answers. She even acknowledges that she isn’t wellversed in the issues currently facing the board besides the highly pub
Margaret Feeney
Party: Republican
Age: 37
Incumbent: No
Current job: United States head of innovation for global bank with offices in Stamford
Education: Convent of the Sacred Heart, Spring Hill College, and an MBA from the University of Connecticut.
The most important issue in this election: Adequate access to technology and technology training for all students.
Other issues: Long-term handling of the mold crisis. Family: Getting married this December to long-time resident Chris Malloy, founder of Stamford Building Company. No kids yet.
Previous elected offices, community group affiliations: Stamford Innovation Week, Stamford Next (under CTNext) licized mold crisis. Yet, she feels her experience developing publicprivate partnerships would help her bring stakeholders to the table if elected.
More than anything, the Fairfield native is just a fan of Stamford, where she has lived for the last four years, and wants to give back to the community.
“I just love the city of Stamford,” she said. “I love the people I met, love the people I work with, and I love the people I interact with.”