Bio

I am proud to say I was born and raised in Oakland.  I was educated in Oakland, attending Crocker Highlands Elementary, McChesney Jr. High (now Edna Brewer), Oakland High, and Skyline High Schools before graduating in 1991 and going on to UC Berkeley.  My mother was a kindergarten teacher in Oakland for 40 years.  For the past nine years I have run programs for non-profit organizations at Santa Fe Elementary School and Maxwell Park Elementary School.  I have worked and volunteered in Oakland’s public schools and with Oakland’s youth for the past twenty years, doing everything from running Sports4kids and after school programs to serving on school site councils and coaching soccer teams.  I was an active participant at school board meetings and in the fight to stop the school closures before deciding to run for a seat on the school board.  I have a passion for the education and betterment of Oakland’s youth and I highly value the role public education plays in individual lives and healthy communities.  I strongly believe that every child has the right to a high quality public education and the right to achieve his or her maximum potential.