Candidate for
Council Member; City of Oakland; District 2

Jennifer Pae is a community organizer, public policy advocate, and an effective leader for change at the local, state, and national levels. Born in the Bay Area, Jennifer has made Oakland's Eastlake neighborhood her home. She currently serves on the Oakland Community Policing Advisory Board and is seeking to represent District 2 on Oakland's City Council.

Jennifer is the past President of the United States Students Association (USSA), the oldest and largest national student organization, representing over 2.5 million college students. In addition to managing a more than million-dollar budget, she fought for access to higher education as USSA's chief spokesperson to the White House, testified before the United States Senate, and negotiated federal policy with the Department of Education.

After concluding her term as USSA President, Jennifer moved back to the Bay Area to be closer to her family from whom she inherited the values of hard work and perseverance. Jennifer's mom, a first generation immigrant, raised two children while working and studying to become a nurse. Jennifer made Oakland her home because she fell in love with Oakland's unique activist history, its diverse communities, and the city's openness to change.

When Barack Obama launched his campaign for President, Jennifer immersed herself in Oakland serving as an Obama precinct captain, organizing local voters through trainings, phone banking, and door knocking. Congressional District 9 had the most competitive race in California to select Obama delegates to the Democratic Convention, and, in a field of more than 100 candidates, Jennifer received the second-highest number of votes. Jennifer became the only Korean-American delegate in California and the youngest Korean-American delegate at the Democratic National Convention.

Jennifer currently works for an advocacy and political organization dedicated to engaging underrepresented communities in the political process. In this capacity, she manages campaigns to increase access to education and mentors young women to become active leaders in their communities.

Jennifer lives with her sister and their three dogs Sadie, Riley, and Pepsi. She is an avid runner, has completed the San Francisco Women's Marathon and the Oakland Half-Marathon, and is now running for Oakland City Council!