st. paul

Keith Hardy is St. Paul's newest school board member, a mentor, an ultra-marathon runner, a Toastmaster, president of the Twin Cities Tall Club, a sufferer of Marfan syndrome and the first black elected to the school board since Toni Carter left to become a Ramsey County commissioner in March 2005. And if you think those seemingly disparate things aren't relevant to each other, well, you don't know Keith Hardy.

Yet.

Hardy has two major goals for St. Paul schools: eliminate the achievement gap between white and minority students and attract more kids to the district. That this incredibly busy, overwhelmingly involved and seemingly endlessly energetic man has but two major goals may surprise some. But give him time. He's open to setting more.

"I was told that I have two ears and one mouth for a reason," said Hardy, 44. "I need to listen twice as much as I speak."

And he's excited that the school board has decided to take some of its regular meetings out into the community Hardy said. "You have to listen to people. You have to be open to ideas, show people respect."

He was born in Buffalo, N.Y. His parents, Will and Barbara Hardy, didn't graduate from high school, but nonetheless hammered home the importance of education, Hardy said. But it was in 1977, at the age of 13, that he learned a couple of sobering lessons about making the most of life.

His sister died. And he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder of the body's connective tissue, characterized by long, thin limbs and fingers, a tall stature and a predisposition to cardiovascular abnormalities. But, instead of going into a shell, Hardy said he sought new experiences and challenges.

That same year, Hardy began running; he now regularly runs races at least 50 kilometers, or 31 miles, long. He also became a vegetarian. And the boy, raised Baptist by his parents, converted to the Seventh-day Adventist church.

He excelled in school, encouraged by teachers and counselors and his parents. And he's not slowed down since.

He graduated from the University of Texas-Arlington with a degree in journalism. But poor pay in newspapers pushed Hardy to a communications job with Burlington Northern. In 1988, that job brought him to St. Paul. A master's degree in technical communications and a job change to Target's information technology department as project coordinator followed.

There's more.

He joined Toastmasters as a way to reach out to a broader community, strengthen his communication skills and make new friends. Along the way, he began volunteering at Twin Cities RISE!, which works to give people life and job skills. Several years ago, he joined the St. Paul schools' Citizens Budget and Finance Advisory Committee, rising to chairman. He mentors a boy at Cleveland Junior High School. He volunteers, serves on several area boards and has taught speech and leadership classes at several area schools.

"He's tireless," said Dan Grundtner, a friend who met Hardy through Toastmasters and became his campaign treasurer. "And he cares."

As a school board member, Grundtner said, "He's going to hit the ground running."

Hardy said he sees real significance in becoming the board's only black member. In a district where nearly a third of the children are black, he said, families need to see people like them in leadership positions. While he insists he represents the entire community, "it's vital that, for African-Americans, they have someone who cares about them."

As a board member, he said, his job will be to set strategy and serve as an ambassador and champion for the children and families of St. Paul. For the man who's been running far and fast for most of his life, the real race has begun. St. Paul must and can eliminate the achievement gap, he said.

But it will take the work of the school board, the superintendent, teachers, the community and business partners to make it happen, he said. "It will take a mindset."

Jan Willms, a Hardy friend for the past three years, said he has a deep sense of responsibility and duty. He is also competitive, driven and strives to learn as much as he can about issues, she said.