Candidate for
Council Member; City of East Palo Alto

My name is Lisa Yarbrough-Gauthier and I am running for East Palo Alto City Council. As a 38 year resident of the community, I have the energy and expertise needed to serve our multicultural community.

I attended Brentwood Oaks Elementary, Garden Oaks Junior High (Ronald McNair) and was a student at San Carlos High for two years, before transferring to William C. Overfelt in San Jose, CA. Where I served as the Vice President and President of a student association and a member of the student council and was active with sports, playing basketball and running track.

I am the daughter of the late Margaret Yarbrough, a mother who raised six children while working as a teacher's assistant at Ravenswood High School and Redwood High School's School Age Mother's Program (SAMP). I grew up with my five siblings Valerie, Lynn, Lyle, Larry, and Montel in the Garden's neighborhood of East Palo Alto and currently reside in my childhood home.

As a child, I was a member of the local churches, played sports, attended local sporting/community events, participated in various programs/events through the city, and attended YMCA camps. As an adult, I coached my daughter's middle school basketball team and worked with other parents to provide transportation to after school events within the Sequoia Union High School District.

I currently work as an Executive Assistant for a Venture Capital firm in Foster City, where my duties include but are not limited to managing office operations, managing and generating staff reports from our client database, as well as managing vendor relations. I am an experienced organizer, facilitator, team player, and problem solver.

I serve as an advisor to College Track's Kiwanis Key Club, a student-led organization which provides its members with opportunities to provide service, build character, and develop leadership. I volunteer for EHP and Kiwanis to provide hot meals to the community, Wednesday evenings at St. Francis Catholic Church on Bay Road. I also serve as a member of the Menlo Park/East Palo Alto (MPEPA) Beautiful Women, an organization that acknowledges and honors the hard work of women in the community through mentoring and scholarships.

I am a mother of three, Huey, Ashley and Brittnee, who all graduated from Carlmont High School. After spending time in Lompoc, CA; Aurora, Co; Pensacola, Fl; Adana, Turkey; and Bedford, MA as military dependants, they returned to East Palo Alto were they hoped to finally settle down. I am a proud mother. My daughter Brittnee graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA with degrees in Psychology and Child Development and Ashley will graduate from Arizona State in December, with degrees in Urban Policy and Public Policy and Service.

I am running for City Council because I believe:

• I have experience working and negotiating with others.
• I am a team player with proven leadership qualities.
• I have integrity.
• I care about the future of the city.
• I have the experience, knowledge and skills to bring people together and facilitate decisions that are best for everyone.