Candidate for
Board Member; Campbell Union High School District

Kalen grew up in San Jose and is a proud graduate of Westmont High School. At WHS, Kalen was active in student government and athletics and served as the President of the Key Club, a national community service organization.

After high school, Kalen attended UC Davis and quickly became involved in student government serving the Associated Students of UC Davis as a Senator, Vice-President, and finally as President. As ASUCD President, Kalen worked on a wide range of issues on behalf of the UC Davis student body including fighting to keep UC, CSU, and Community College tuition low and increasing the funding for student recruitment and retention from low-income communities.

Driven by his passion for service, Kalen attended law school at the UC Davis School of Law. Again, Kalen continued his active involvement in campus life and student advocacy.

After graduating and passing the California Bar Exam, Kalen opted against taking a big firm job and instead decided to teach 7th and 8th grade Social Studies in East San Jose. During his time teaching, Kalen was responsible for educating nearly 300 students, many of whom came from underprivileged backgrounds. As a result of Kalen's dedication in the classroom, his students performed twice as well as the district average on the California Standardized Test. Believing there is much more to education than can be represented on standardized tests, Kalen also encouraged his students to get involved in their community and develop the interpersonal skills needed to excel throughout high school, college, and beyond.

Recognizing technology's unique ability to drive widespread systemic and structural change, Kalen made the tough decision to leave the teaching job he loved to join an innovative education startup last fall as its first employee. His company builds a free tool for teachers, parents, and students to help establish positive learning habits and strengthens the connection between in-class behavior and academic success.

Since returning to San Jose after law school, Kalen has been very active in our community. Kalen is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of New Leaders Council + Silicon Valley, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that annually identifies and trains 15-20 civic-minded, young professionals with the tools to make positive change in our community. Kalen also founded and currently heads the Silicon Valley chapter of the UC Davis Alumni Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Alumni and Volunteer Corporation at Stanford University.