Candidate: Richard Anthony Holzknecht

Rich Holzknecht
Candidate Escambia County School Board District 4

Please let me cut to the chase and tell you why I am the clear best candidate for Escambia County School Board District 4.  To begin, I am a 28-year naval officer and the widowed, single father of four extraordinary children, all distinguished K-12 graduates of District 4.  I know firsthand how to help students succeed at an elite level within the public school system.  Secondly, I come from a long line of public school teachers to include my mom, dad, wife, sisters, brother and several in-laws.  I know the challenges teachers face in public education and recognize the special role good teachers play in shaping the life and character of a child.  Thirdly, I have arguably been the most engaged father in District 4 during the past two decades.  I have been recognized as school Volunteer of the Year, founded and served for two years as President of the Scenic Heights Elementary School Dad’s Club, taught upwards of 250 Math Superstar classes, coached youth football, soccer, baseball and basketball, helped middle school students learn to think critically and hone problem solving skills as an “Odyssey of the Mind” coach, and served for over a decade as a club and team parent for 20+ MS/HS athletic teams, plus chorus, orchestra, band, theater and NJROTC programs.  I hold to the generally conservative values of Escambia County, am politically beholden to no one, and as highlighted below, have broad military and civilian leadership experience in education, team building, problem solving and diplomacy at the local through international levels.

My Priorities

1.  Protect Our Children and Grandchildren.  Children are our most treasured resource and the future of our Nation.  Make our schools a safe haven and protect our children from physical harm, threats to their innocence, exposure to revisionist history, ideological indoctrination, and legislatively prohibited obscene and age-inappropriate material.   

2.  Help Teachers get back to basics.  Ensure good order & discipline in the classroom, reduce the burden of unnecessary administrative tasking, and allow dedicated teachers to focus on teaching our children to read, write, master basic math skills, think critically, & effect positive cultural change through informed constitutional citizenship.

3.  Encourage Parents to be fully engaged in the education process.  Promote healthy family relationships and good cooperation between parents, teachers & administrators.  Provide helpful resources where needed & never allow anyone to deal secretly with our children or drive a wedge between students and the parents/guardians who love them.  I pledge to work creatively with all ECSD stakeholders to continually raise the bar in the public education of our children to best prepare them for follow-on college and/or career success.    

My Experience and Credentials

-  Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy
- MS in Systems Management, Scientific & Technical Intelligence & National Security Affairs
- Desert Storm Task Group Commander & Veteran of three wars
- Naval aviator with 5,000+ hours of global flight operations
- Six-year tenure as U.S. Naval Attaché in Israel & Turkey
- Military advisor to six American Ambassadors
- Elected Dean of a 120-Nation Foreign Military Attaché Corps in Israel
- Senior naval instructor at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Military Attaché School
- Director of Fleet-wide Naval Aviation Survival Training
- Air Test and Evaluation Operational Test Analyst
- Designated Middle East Foreign Area Officer (FAO)
- Board Member, Restoring the Heart Ministries (helping victims of sexual trauma & sex trafficking), and former Board Member, Harvest & Generation Churches, Downtown Pensacola
- Licensed Realtor and Business Broker
- Church community outreach coordinator and food and clothing pantry volunteer
- Father of a Booker T Washington HS Hall of Famer, three students of the year, four varsity team captains, four Bright Future Award recipients, two Florida All-State Chorus selectees, two MIRA Award recipients, and two “Top Honors” All-State Theater Award recipients.