Candidate for
Council Member; City of East Palo Alto

I grew up in Southern California, and spent some time in Russia after graduating from Pomona College with a degree in International Relations. In St. Petersburg, Russia, I met my husband, Oleg, and worked at a non-profit organization that helped women learn to run their own small businesses. We moved to the Bay Area in 2000, when I entered Stanford's business school to improve my skills and abilities in starting and growing small businesses.

I have been active in the East Palo Alto community since I moved here in 2002. I enjoy working together with people from diverse backgrounds toward a common goal. For five years, I was the executive director of Start Up (now Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, a local nonprofit that helps people set up and run their own businesses). Over many years I have also helped my husband grow his small business, Stonesculpt, which does custom stonework and restoration.

In addition, I served on the Citizens' Advisory Committee for the RBD / Four Corners Specific Plan, and more recently was appointed to our community's General Plan Advisory Committee. Our daughter went to the East Palo Alto Charter School on Runnymede from kindergarten through fifth grade.

I believe my background in economic development, with a focus on small business and entrepreneurship, gives me a unique perspective that will benefit East Palo Alto. It's really important for a community to have locally owned businesses as a spur to economic growth because they provide needed jobs for residents and increase the tax base for the City, which helps ensure that we have the funds necessary to provide essential public services. I will strive to improve East Palo Alto's overall economic health, along with a fulfilling quality of life for us all.