Candidate for
Board Member; San Diego Unified School District; Trustee Area A

Mitz Lee Biography

Born in the Republic of the Philippines, Mitz became a U.S. citizen in 1988 and has made San Diego her home for 20 years. She is married to Jeff Lee, a retired U.S. Navy Commander. Their two sons, Scott, age 17, and Jeff, age 15, attend Scripps Ranch High School. Both Mitz and her husband believe that parents must take leadership roles in their children's education. Jeff Lee was narrowly defeated in a closely contested San Diego Unified school board race in 2002.

Mitz's record of community involvement spans almost two decades. Beginning as many house mothers do, Mitz became a den leader for her sons' Cub Scouts, and a team mom for Youth Soccer and Little League Baseball. Then, identifying an unfilled need at her son's school, Mitz stepped in and organized parent classroom volunteers and established a parent center.

During the many hours she spent working with parents and teachers at her children's school, Mitz came to understand how policy and politics + factors beyond the teacher's control + affect children in the classroom. Mitz believes a parent's care and concern cannot overcome a lack of good academic program at the school or overcome weak and incoherent school board policies. So, Mitz broadened her involvement in public education by working to improve curriculum and establish standards-based reform, accountability and sound school policy.

Civic duty is not new to Mitz. After earning a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of the City of Manila in 1976 - a city-chartered university for public high school students who graduate with high academic grades - Mitz worked for two of the largest corporations in the Philippines. Later she was recruited to manage a travel agency that specialized in eco-tours to rugged and remote locations in the Philippines for European and American nature lovers. From this experience, Mitz was inspired to work to protect Philippine flora and fauna and she also learned to value and respect the diverse cultures and ethnic groups of her native country. She was an early member of the board of directors of the Haribon Society, the largest and most respected environmental conservation group in the Philippines.

On the Haribon Board of Directors, Mitz worked with local, national and international conservation groups, to save the endangered Philippine Eagle. As a result, the national legislature declared the endangered Philippine Eagle the official bird of the Republic of the Philippines and thereby saved it from extinction.

Mitz has been a grassroots education reform advocate for more than a decade. Her trademark is building multi-ethnic community coalitions around that central American value of opportunity through education. Mitz works with community and business organizations, civic-minded citizens and elected officials from all parties to build consensus on education reform issues and to restore excellence to our K-12 public schools.

As co-founder and president of the Alliance for Quality Education, Mitz uses her expertise on education issues, school budgets, academic standards and grassroots organizing to coalesce parent and community support for education reform.

Mitz has served in numerous leadership and committee positions at school site, school district, and state level K-12 education organizations. She also interacts with public officials and local, state, and national educational organizations to advocate for excellent K-12 public education.

Mitz has been honored for outstanding service in improving K-12 public education. Among her awards are two Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition from members of the U.S. House of Representatives; a nomination to receive the President's Service Award; and she has been honored by the Military Spouse Business and Professional Network.

She has an MBA with an emphasis in Financial Management from National University, San Diego.

In addition to her work with the Alliance for Quality Education, Mitz Lee has joined and served in the following education organizations:

Charter School: Explorer Charter Elementary School; Member Board of Directors

San Diego Public School: Hage Elementary School, School Site Council Member Dingeman Elementary School, School Site Council Co-Chair Wangenheim Middle School, School Governance Team Member Dingeman Elementary School, Co-Founder Family-Faculty Connection Hage and Dingeman Elementary School, Parent Coordinator Marshall Middle and Scripps Ranch High School, PTA Member Scripps Ranch High School Foundation, Member

School District/San Diego City Schools: Parent Involvement Task Force, Co-Chair Asian Pacific Islander Education Advisory Council, Chair Rockefeller Foundation San Diego Initiative -- Steering Committee on Staff Professional Development, Member Superintendent's Parent Council, Member Grade Level Standards Steering Committee Member Grade Level Standards Parent Involvement Sub-Committee, Co-Chair Community Budget Advisory Committee, Member Area IV Parent Advisory Council, Member

State of California/Regional: Standardized Testing and Reporting Performance Level Setting Panel for English/Language Arts California Department of Education, Educational Partnerships Unit, Family Area Network California Schools Volunteer Partnerships Member, Board of Directors