Candidate for
Board Member; Peralta Community College District; District 5

I am a native of Oakland, California. I attended Oakland public schools and transferred from Merritt College, where I was student body president, to the University of San Francisco (USF) where I earned a B.A. in Sociology and Physical Education and an Ed.D. in Educational Policy. My M.A. in Educational Administration was received from San Francisco State University.

With my doctorate in Educational Policy, I served in public education over 39 years, including the Oakland, East Palo Alto/Ravenswood and San Ramon School Districts. Over the years in education I have served in the roles of teacher, counselor, coach, principal, vice-principal, and administrator on special assignment; I have also served as the Alameda County Office of Education's Coordinator of Pupil Services and Child and Family Advocacy.

My first election to the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees was in 1998, representing Area 5, the largest district of Oakland and the entire City of Piedmont. I have served as both President and also as Vice President of the Board twice.

My biggest joy in life is that I have been married for thirty-seven years and have two grown daughters, both of whom are college graduates.

As a lifelong Oaklander, educator, former Merritt College student body president and professional educator, I remain passionate about delivering quality education to Peralta's diverse student body. When I was first elected, Peralta received adequate state funding to support every student enrolling in our colleges. Today we are challenged with serving 5200 more students than the state pays for. In these tough times I have provided successful leadership to find creative ways of serving more students with less. My tenure is notable for my constructive approach to improving instructional quality, enhancing the staff working environment and protecting valuable District resources.

I'm not afraid of hard decisions and when problems emerged I moved quickly to implement efficient, constructive and cost-effective solutions. I pledge to continue monitoring District completion of Measure A's $390 million expenditures for college improvements, improving fiscal accountability, fighting for local business participation in capital projects, collaborating to secure our fair share of state funding and most importantly, strengthening student support services. I'm endorsed by many from the community, education and business; Assemblyman Sandre Swanson; Piedmont Mayor Dean Barbieri and other elected officials.