I'm Running for the Rye Neck Board of Education
My name is Alex Rainert, and I'm running for one of the two open seats on the Rye Neck Board of Education on Tuesday, May 20th.
I am running because I love our district and believe I can be a positive force to build on what makes it special while preparing our children for a rapidly changing world.
My wife Karen and I moved to Rye Neck in 2013. We were drawn to the smaller school district, academic reputation, and the diverse community, and a neighborhood where our children could bike to school and walk to town. Our daughter Elise is now in 9th grade and our son Oliver is in 6th, giving me perspective on both our middle and high school experiences, as well as our elementary schools, as they both have been in our district since Kindergarten.
Being an active parent while working full-time has always been a priority for me. I've joined field trips, volunteered at school events, and coached our kids, and many of your kids, in soccer and baseball for the past seven years. Through these activities, I've gotten to know many local families and watched many Rye Neck kids grow up.
Professionally, I bring 25 years of experience building digital products at various technology companies – from founding my own startup to leading large teams at Google and The New York Times. I've managed complex budgets, led strategic initiatives, and have found that empathy, curiosity, and decisiveness have served me and my teams well in driving effective collaboration.
At a time when we're preparing our children to navigate the challenges of an increasingly digital world – including issues like cell phone use in schools, social media, mental well being, and artificial intelligence – I believe my technology background and leadership experience would be additive to the board.
I'm running because our family is deeply invested in the Rye Neck community, and I want to give back to a district that has given us so much.
May 5th Candidate Forum
On Monday May 5th, the League of Women Voters hosted a candidate forum with all three candidates.
It’s just over an hour and we covered important topics including board-community relations, traffic & student safety, technology in education, student wellbeing, the new NY State cell phone policy, diversity in our district and the tension balancing extra-curricular activities. It’s jam-packed!
The LOWV do an excellent job providing this service to the community and it’s a great way to learn more about all three candidates.
If you end up watching and have any follow up questions for me, please reach out at alex@alexrainert.com!
My bio
I moved to Rye Neck in 2013 with my wife, Karen and our two children, Elise and Oliver. While we looked at houses across neighboring towns, the promise of a smaller school district made up of families from a variety of backgrounds, in a community where you can bike to school and walk to town drew us to Rye Neck. We got very lucky landing on Melbourne Avenue — a truly special block filled with families of all ages and a deep sense of community and care for one another. Elise and Oliver are now in 9th and 6th grade respectively and have had different, wonderful experiences as part of the Rye Neck Education system and community.
Being an active parent while working full time has always been a priority for me — at school that meant jumping at opportunities to join my children's classes on field trips to the Bronx Zoo or the Science Museum, volunteering to run lawn games at the Panther party and refereeing at Field Day. Outside of school, I have been a coach for both my kids' teams in Rec soccer, Larchmont Mamaroneck Football Club (LMFC) and Larchmont Mamaroneck Little League (LMLL) for the past seven years. Through these teams I have gotten to know many local families and seen many Rye Neck kids grow up.
My family and I are deeply invested in the Rye Neck community. Given the rapidly changing tech landscape that the schools are preparing our kids for, I want to prioritize time on the board as a way to give back to a community that has given my family so much.
I grew up in New York City and graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, CT with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, earning my master's degree at New York University in Interactive Telecommunications. I have over 25 years of experience building digital products at a variety of consumer technology companies — from founding my own startup to leading teams of over 200 people at larger organizations like Google and The New York Times. I believe empathy, curiosity, and decisiveness are essential values to drive effective collaboration and have leveraged these qualities to successfully lead groups with diverse interests to work together in service of ambitious, shared goals.
At a time when we are preparing our kids to navigate the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly digital world, including pressing issues like cell phone use in schools, social media and bullying, and artificial intelligence adoption, I feel my experience and skill set would be a helpful addition to the Board of Education. I support an educational approach that balances academic excellence with social-emotional development, preparing students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. I am excited about the opportunity to partner with the other Board of Trustees, our trusted administration, and the Superintendent to create an educational environment that prepares students for the future while preserving the close-knit community that makes Rye Neck so special.