I am a parent, a current school board member, and a community member committed to children and young people.

I am the parent of three children, all of whom are students at Adelante. We moved to Redwood City from Mountain View. We chose Redwood City because of the schools; my husband and I wanted a district with the quality and variety of school choices, as well as the strength of diversity that we saw in the Redwood City School District.

I was appointed to the school board in March to fill Alicia Aguirre's seat after she was appointed to the City Council. Since then I have had the opportunity to visit the schools, to learn about their strengths and concerns, and to meet parents, teachers, and students. The board and the district have worked hard to ensure a quality education for the children of Redwood City. However, the district still faces challenges. In a district with students from a variety of backgrounds, the Redwood City School District must find a way to provide a high quality education for all its students, from students who are just learning English to students in gifted and talented programs with very limited financial resources. I am committed to working with parents, district staff and the schools to find innovative ways to meet these challenges.

I am part of your community, and have been for longer than I have lived here. For 4 years I worked in teen pregnancy prevention in Redwood City and throughout the County. I started a family communication program in this district in 1999. While doing this, I worked with school principals, PTAs and other parent groups to provide education to parents. That program, Plain Talk for Parents, still runs today, working primarily with community groups. I am also a Brownie leader and a classroom volunteer. In each of these capacities I have served with the same ideals that I now bring to the Redwood City School Board: It is our job as adults to help our children become successful in life. I believe that to be successful, children must have an education that prepares them for the world.

I've lived in many different areas of the country but have lived on the Peninsula for the last 6 years. I went to college in Minnesota and got a Master's degree in Public Health in New York City. I've been married for 12 years and my husband is an attorney.