Candidate for
Member, Community College Board; City of San Francisco

I am a proud product of California's public education system and have seen first hand the transformational change education can play in a person's life. This motivates every day to work hard to ensure people have the same opportunity I have had. While I had not worked directly on issues of higher education before serving as Trustee, I have spent my entire career advocating on behalf of young people.

My German mother and my Black father never had the chance to go to college. So getting a college degree was always important in my family. I feared that I would not be able to afford going to college altogether. However, I found community college, and it provided me a pathway to a better life. Therefore, I understand how vital community college can be.

I graduated from Grossmont Community College and went on to receive a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Public Policy from University of California, Berkeley followed by a Masters of Public Administration in Public Budgeting and Management from San Francisco State University. This taught me how complex and sometimes overwhelming the transfer process and bureaucracy can be - something our students face all the time.

I have since applied the skills I first learned at community college to my public service career in San Francisco, building partnerships among different groups to make government work better for the people. However, none of my achievements would have been possible without my start at my community college.

I have worked hard to give ensure that young people have the same opportunity to be engaged with educational and political opportunities that I have had. From sponsoring college Democrats attendance at the State Conventions, mentoring youth and emerging leaders, to supporting organizations like the Youth Commission and New Leaders Council I am committed to improving young people's path to education and leadership.

In 2012 I promoted and supported San Francisco's Greenagers program as Deputy Director of Community and Government Affairs at the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. This leadership program provides teens from the Southeast Side of San Francisco an opportunity to play an important role in the community by improving our green spaces and raising awareness about the environment. I managed public outreach efforts to engage decision makers and community groups, increasing awareness and support for this groundbreaking program. Additionally, during my time at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, I helped expand the Queer Youth Space and the creation of the Youth Council. As an openly gay man of color I have always been especially sensitive to the special needs of youth in our incredibly diverse Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community, especially in regards to housing, employment, leadership development, and education.

Since my appointment as Trustee earlier this year, I was proud to vote to establish a new educational partnership between City College and Five Keys Charter School. This new project will offer inmates a pathway to college and careers. I am looking forward to building more innovative partnerships with organizations throughout the city to ensure continued access to educational opportunities. Further, I have requested to start recording our Board meetings again. I champion open government and am committed to making it more accessible to our citizens. We all do better when the public is engaged.

As high school graduate enrollment at City College has gone down over the past two years, we are especially looking at re-establishing a stronger partnership with the SF School District again. I am also excited to continue my support of President Obama's "My Brother's Keeper" Initiative (MBK), something I started getting involved in initially during my time in his Administration last year. MBK aims to address the tremendous barriers and disadvantages young men and women face in our country and city and provides support and mentorship to ensure they stay on track for a successful future.

This has truly been the best job I have ever had and it is a privilege to be able to serve as your Trustee on the City College Board.