Candidate for
Board Member; Chula Vista Elementary School District; Seat 4

Jill Galvez, a homemaker and parent of two children who attend school in the district, works dililgently to make her community a better place.

After putting her career in the high-tech industry on hold in order to actively raise her children, Jill has dedicated her free time to improving her schools and community.

In the schools, Jill has personally educated over 1,200 children, along with former CVESD board member, Dr. Peter Watry, with a free, one-hour, "10,000 Years of Chula Vista History" presentation. Jill has created a website for her children's school, has chaired school fundraisers, and maintains close connections with parents and teachers across the Chula Vista Elementary School District.

In the community, Jill has twice participated on the Chula Vista Historic Home Tour committee. As a trustee of the San Diego Junior Theatre, she has helped JT maintain a presence in its first and only satellite location -- Historic Downtown Chula Vista. As a member of the Chula Vista Downtown Business Association Design Review Committee, Jill promotes design ideas that will attract visitors to our historic downtown. As a member of Crossroads II's Executive Committee, Jill works with other active community members to ensure that the public is well informed of decisions that affect the quality of life in Chula Vista.

Jill's husband, Victor, immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1977. He was immersed in English at Hilltop High School, attended Southwestern College, and received a degree in Economics and Computer Science from the University of San Diego. Victor is a Senior Vice President of Investments with Smith Barney/Citigroup and is a trustee of The Old Globe theatre.

Jill was raised in a family of educators. Her grandmother was a kindergarten teacher for 50 years with the Detroit Public Schools. Her parents are both retired educators. Her mom taught Adult School for English learners and then junior high. Her father was an English teacher, a coach, and the vice principal of a culturally diverse high school in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Her two sisters are teachers in Michigan, where the "No Child Left Behind Act" is draining crucial resources from the school systems.

Jill was nominated to be the "Good Citizen of Macomb County" by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1984, and learned about state government as a Girls' State Representative. She received the U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship from Senator Carl Levin, and was nominated to receive additional scholarships by the then Superintendent of Michigan Schools, Donald Bemis.

She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Engineering/Telecommunications/Computer Science, and worked in both Defense Contracting and Strategic Account Marketing for IBM. She moved to California in 1992, as her husbands' mother was diagnosed with cancer, and began a career in management with AT&T. She gained valuable experiences at AT&T that will bring value to the Chula Vista Elementary School Board of Education. She was the Human Resources Manager and Branch Operations Manager for AT&T in San Diego, Irvine, San Bernardino, City of Industry, and Hawaii. She was promoted to Regional Manager of Alternate Channel Sales, responsible for managing systems integration company sales in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Hawaii, and quickly moved her region from #4 of 4 to #1 in the nation.

After picking her two babies up from daycare in 1998 at 7:00pm and facing another out-of-town business trip, Jill decided that her career didn't bode well for her family. So, with her husband's support, she "retired", learning how to manage their household finances on a single income.

After both of her "babies" enrolled in elementary school in 2002, Jill had time to actively participate in the community and the schools. And she chose to run for school board in order to better represent the changing demographics and needs of our community.