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WOMEN'S ECONOMIC POWER:

Surviving to Thriving to Driving Change

March 28, 2024

Agenda
Program
Rise Logo 2024

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The *Women’s Leadership Conference is an in-person gathering where people share their lived experiences on economic equity for women and the impact of childcare and early education on families in San Mateo County. These people are invested in creating change in the workplace, government, businesses, and other sectors of community to empower and develop economic equity for *women and girls in San Mateo County.

Registration will be available starting January 17th .

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2024 Keynote Speakers

Lauren Babb

Lauren Babb

Vice President of Public Affairs

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte

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Malia M. Cohen

Malia M. Cohen

California State Controller

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Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta

Founder & President of the Dolores

Huerta Foundation

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2024 Speakers

Dayna Chung

Dayna Chung

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Supervisor Noelia Corzo

Supervisor Noelia Corzo

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Sarah Kinahan

Sarah Kinahan

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Susan Kokores

Susan Kokores

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Shireen Malekafzali

Shireen Malekafzali

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Christine Padilla

Christine Padilla

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Nirmala Bandrapalli

Nirmala Bandrapalli

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Aileen Cassinetto

Aileen Cassinetto

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Aki Dayag

Aki Dayag

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Trish Erwin

Trish Erwin

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La Saundra Gutter

La Saundra Gutter

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Azalea Renfield

Azalea Renfield

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Ellen Tafeen

Ellen Tafeen

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Susan Takalo

Susan Takalo

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Anisha Weber

Anisha Weber

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Jacki Rigoni

Jacki Rigoni

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Kalimah Salhuddin

Kalimah Salahuddin

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2024 Agenda

Thank you for supporting RISE 2024

California Commission on the Status of Women & Girls.
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Coastal Hope
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Monterra Credit Union
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Skyline College
Equity Advocate Sponsor
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Rise 2024

Agenda

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

REGISTRATION CHECK-IN & BREAKFAST BUFFER

8:50 AM - 10:00 AM

Event Open

Azalea Renfield

Emcee

Acknowledgement of the Land and its Workers

Kalimah Salahuddin

REACH Coalition

Call to Sisterhood

Aki Dayag

Storyteller

Welcome

Susan Kokores

President, Commission on the Status of Women

Speaker

Shireen Malekafzali

Chief Equity Officer, County of San Mateo

Keynote Address

Lauren Babb

VP of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Let’s Talk About Financial Wealth Gap 

Presenters

Nirmala Bandrapalli

Aileen Cassinetto

Trish Erwin

La Saundra Gutter

Susan Kokores

Jacki Rigoni

Ellen Tafeen

Susan Takalo

Anisha Weber

 

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Let’s Talk About the Impact of Childcare & Caregiving

Presenters

Dayna Chung

Sarah Kinahan

Christine Padilla

12:00 PM - 12:30PM

LUNCH BUFFET & MARKETPLACE OPENS

12:30 PM

Keynote Address

Malia M. Cohen
California State Controller

1:00 PM

Speaker

Supervisor Noelia Corzo

District 2, County of San Mateo

Keynote Address

Dolores Huerta

Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation

1:30 PM

CLOSE

1:30 PM - 2:00PM

MARKETPLACE / NETWORKING

Lauren Babb

Lauren Babb

Vice President of Public Affairs

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte

Lauren Babb is an accomplished community leader and public affairs professional, specializing in local policy and advocacy. With over a decade of experience in community and electoral campaigns, she has collaborated with prestigious organizations such as Planned Parenthood, AFSCME, UAW, and Obama for America. Currently serving as the Vice President of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the country’s largest affiliate, Lauren also oversees the 501-C4 advocacy organization Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte and the super PAC We Vote. In 2023, she successfully completed BISC’s Ballot Measure Leader Training Program, enhancing her skills and expertise. Lauren is an active member of the Nevada for Reproductive Freedom Ballot Initiative Steering Committee.

Dedicated to addressing women’s issues, Lauren previously chaired the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. During her tenure, she implemented California’s first grant program dedicated to women’s economic recovery amid the challenges of COVID-19. Engaged in various organizations, Lauren serves on the board of directors for California Women’s List and California Women Lead, and she is a valued member of the California Black Women’s Health Project advisory committee.

Lauren’s exceptional contributions have been acknowledged with the Gen Now award from the California Black Women’s Collective and the Women’s Foundation of California. She was also honored as one of the “4 Black Policy Movers & Shakers You Should Know.”

Malia M. Cohen

Malia M. Cohen

California State Controller

State Controller Malia M. Cohen was elected in November 2022, following her service on the California State Board of Equalization (BOE), the nation’s only elected tax commission responsible for administering California’s $100 billion property tax system. She was elected to the BOE in November 2018 and was Chair in 2019 and 2022. As Controller, she continues to serve the Board as its fifth voting member.

As chief fiscal officer of the world’s fifth-largest economy, Controller Cohen’s primary responsibility is to account for and protect the state‘s financial resources. Controller Cohen also independently audits government agencies that spend state funds, safeguards many types of property until claimed by the rightful owners, and administers the payroll system for state government employees and California State University employees. She serves on 70 boards and commissions with authority ranging from affordable housing to crime victim compensation to land management. Controller Cohen chairs the Franchise Tax Board and serves on the boards of the nation’s two largest public pension funds, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) Boards, which have a combined portfolio of $750 billion. The Controller is one of eight statewide constitutional officials who are elected every four years in California.

As the BOE Board Member for District 2, she represented 10 million constituents living in all or parts of 23 counties extending from Del Norte County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south. As Chair of the BOE, she led the effort to modernize California’s property tax system, provide guidance to the 58 county assessors on remote assessment appeals board hearings, and utilize property tax abatements to stimulate affordable housing. Controller Cohen also ensured that the views of all who came before the Board were considered carefully, with respect, civility, and courtesy.

Prior to being elected to the BOE, Controller Cohen served as President of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. As a Supervisor, she served as Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Audit and Oversight Committee. During this time, she also served as President of the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS), which at the time was a $23 billion pension fund.

Controller Cohen has championed policies and programs that protect public health, foster economic development, promote new affordable housing, and create good jobs through protecting and expanding San Francisco’s manufacturing base. She has dedicated her career to public service, focusing on making public dollars work for all Californians.

Controller Cohen was born and raised in San Francisco and attended public schools. She received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fisk University and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. She and her husband reside in San Francisco along with their daughter.

Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta

Founder & President

Dolores Huerta Foundation

Dolores Huerta is Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation. She co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with Cesar Chavez.

Dolores Huerta is a civil rights activist and community organizer. She has worked for labor rights and social justice for over 50 years. In 1962, she and Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers union. She served as Vice President and played a critical role in many of the union’s accomplishments for four decades. In 2002, she received the Puffin/Nation $100,000 prize for Creative Citizenship which she used to establish the Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF). DHF is connecting groundbreaking community-based organizing to state and national movements to register and educate voters; advocate for education reform; bring about infrastructure improvements in low-income communities; advocate for greater equality for the LGBT community; and create strong leadership development. She has received numerous awards: among them The Eleanor Roosevelt Humans Rights Award from President Clinton in 1998. In 2012 President Obama bestowed Dolores with The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

Dayna Chung

Dayna Chung

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Community Equity Collaborative

Dayna Chung (she/her) is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Community Equity Collaborative, a local nonprofit incubator for initiatives that increase equity in education. She has been a guest speaker and facilitator for numerous events related to equity, education, women and child care – including the RISE Women’s Leadership Conference. Dayna is part of many Bay Area organizations including the San Mateo County Commission for the Status of Women, the KQED Community Advisory Panel, the Child Care Partnership Council Workforce Committee (SMC), Menlo Park City School District LCAP & Equity Team, and the child development advisory boards at Cañada/Skyline and Foothill community colleges. As the spouse of an Asian immigrant and parent of biracial, LGBTQ+ children, she’s seen the impact of systemic changes that build power and equity for women, children and diverse communities. Prior to entering the nonprofit world, Dayna worked in product marketing and organizational development for both technology companies and consulting firms operating in the US and Taiwan. Dayna graduated Summa Cum Laude with Highest Honors in International Studies from Butler University and also holds an MBA in International Management from the University of London. 

Supervisor Noelia Corzo

Noelia Corzo

San Mateo County Supervisor

The County of San Mateo

Noelia Corzo is a San Mateo County Supervisor representing District Two. She made history as the first Latina on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, a county with over 62% people of color, and is currently the only woman on the Board. 

A lifelong resident of San Mateo County, Supervisor Corzo is a single mom, daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, and bilingual Spanish speaker. Prior to being elected Supervisor, she was twice-elected Trustee of the largest school district in San Mateo County. She also worked as a social worker and a community organizer, training grassroots leaders to address systemic inequities. She is passionate about interrupting inequity, promoting representation and belonging, and creating lasting change that better serves all. 

In 2018, Noelia was on the cover of TIME magazine, featured with other women as “The Avengers. First They Marched. Now They’re Running.” Supervisor Corzo has a B.A. in sociology from San Francisco State University. She lives in San Mateo with her son, Mikey, and her dog, Quetzi.  

Sarah Kinahan

Sarah Kinahan

Coordinator for the Child Care Partnership Council

San Mateo County Office of Education

Sarah Kinahan has spent the past two decades working for nonprofit and government programs in the early care and education sector to support children and families in San Mateo County. She has dedicated her career to improving early care and education opportunities for children because of the power these experiences have to change a child or a family’s life. 

Sarah began her career at the Child Care Coordinating Council (4Cs), where she ultimately served as the Executive Director for two years, providing strategic direction during the Great Recession. After the birth of her two children, now 10 and 12, she left 4Cs to work as a strategy and communications consultant for organizations such as First 5 San Mateo County and Izzi Early Education, our local Head Start provider. Her most recent consulting project, prior to joining the San Mateo County Office of Education, was to help with the founding of Build Up – an initiative that has tackled the shortage of early care and education facilities and helped to develop more than 2,300 new child care spaces. Sarah was excited to join the San Mateo County Office of Education in 2020 as the Coordinator for the Child Care Partnership Council because this position allows her to synthesize previous experiences working on public policy, data and research, and advocacy to continue to improve the early care and education systems in the county. While at SMCOE, she played a key role on the San Mateo County COVID-19 Child Care Response Team. In 2022, Sarah was awarded the Mary Petsche Visionary Leadership Award by the Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County.

Sarah is also an active volunteer in her children’s schools in San Carlos, participating in PTA events and acting as a docent for Art in Action. In 2022, she was elected as a trustee for the San Carlos School Board. Sarah can relate to all of the families looking for quality child care – she has worked with eleven different providers over the past eleven years – ranging from Family Child Care, nannies, preschools, drop-in centers, grandparents and after school programs. She is in awe of the dedicated early care and education professionals working every day in our County!

Susan Kokores

Susan Kokores

President of Commission On The Status Of Women

The County of San Mateo

Susan Kokores, born and raised in the City of San Mateo, is both a native and current resident of San Mateo County. She resides in Menlo Park with her husband Roger, having raised two adult daughters. Before joining the Commission on the Status of Women and becoming the CSW’s current President, she retired from her position as Executive Director of WANDA. WANDA is a non-profit she co-founded over 12 years ago that enables low income single mothers living or working in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties to gain financial stability and career and life success. Previously, she was the Major Gifts Director of United Way Silicon Valley, and the Development Director of Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Palo Alto. In her early career years, she was an RN with positions at Stanford Hospital, public health and home health organizations. She also co-ran a small business for over ten years providing educational programs for employees of local corporations. She previously worked for the Senior Center of Palo Alto (now Avenidas).

Susan attended University of California, Berkeley, graduating from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing and eventually from San Jose State University with a Masters in Public Administration. She has always been active in the community including as a member of a local committee that successfully campaigned for a parcel tax benefiting Los Lomitas School District and was a Trustee of Castilleja School in Palo Alto. She enjoys many hobbies including tennis, reading, traveling and spending time in the local San Mateo County Parks and Preserves.

Shireen Malekafzali

Shireen Malekafzali

Chief Equity Officer

The County Of San Mateo

Shireen Malekafzali (she/her) is a leader in advancing equity with over 20 years of experience working across issues in the government, non-profit and philanthropic sectors. She serves as Chief Equity Officer for the County of San Mateo. In this role, she has established County infrastructure to operational equity and works with stakeholders inside and outside of the organization to progress the County’s commitment to equity in services, business operations, democratic processes, and outcomes. 

Previous to her current role with the County, Shireen served as health equity officer and senior manager for the policy, planning and equity. Prior to joining the County, she was associate director at PolicyLink, a national racial and economic equity institute. She currently serves as a member of the State of Equity Advisory Committee, Government Alliance for Race and Equity National Steering Committee, Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Equity Forward Advisory Committee, and on the board of Human Impact Partners.

Across projects, she works to bring a community- and data-driven perspective, rooted in values of racial and social equity, collaboration, love, and emergent strategies. She facilitates the County’s Shared Prosperity Coordinating Council to support a coordinated approach to expanding upward mobility in a county full of prosperity but lacking in shared prosperity across racial and geographic lines.  

Shireen became committed to equity and a just democracy through her lived experience as an immigrant in the United States and her engagement with the environmental justice movement as an undergraduate. Visit her “I am” poem for more about her background.

Christine Padilla

Christine Padilla

Director of Build Up San Mateo County

The County of San Mateo

Christine Padilla, born and raised in San Mateo County, has spent her career at the intersection of service and government working to improve women and childrens’ lives. She is currently the Director of Build Up San Mateo County, a countywide collective impact initiative that preserves, expands and improves the supply of child care facilities. She’s also been a nonprofit executive director, a senior congressional staff member (for 10+ years), and a corporate government relations director. She served 3 terms on the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women and is currently serving on the County’s Child Care Partnership Council. She is co-chair of KQED’s Community Advisory Panel working to ensure diverse community voices are represented throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Christine is committed to making high-quality early care and learning accessible and affordable for working families while supporting and advocating for those who teach and care for their children.

Nirmala Bandrapalli

Nirmala Bandrapalli

Financial Learnings Committee Member

Commission on the Status of Women, San Mateo County

Nirmala Bandrapalli is a busy mother of 3 who is from Burlingame, CA. When she isn’t running her family, she enjoys spending time working to better the community around her.

Nirmala is currently serving on the Commission on the Status of Women. Prior to this experience, she had the opportunity to serve on the Burlingame City Planning Commission. Nirmala loves playing an active role in her children’s education so she served as a representative on the Lincoln Elementary School, Burlingame Intermediate School, and Burlingame High School’s Advisory Committee. She also thoroughly enjoys getting involved with and helping her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop!

Nirmala also had the privilege of being the 88th President (and 3rd woman president) of the Burlingame Lions club. Protecting her community and being a mother are two things that she is very proud of and she showcases this by also being a continued emergency preparedness organizer for her neighborhood and being a proud participant on the Burlingame Mothers’ Club Board.

Nirmala serves on a few Non-Profit boards such as Science Guru’s, a program she co-founded to encourage students to excel in science-based careers. The Leadership Program board is another program that is close to her heart. This program provides individuals from business, civic and nonprofit

sectors with a framework for engagement in the communities of San Mateo, Foster City, Burlingame, and Hillsborough. Nirmala is incredibly passionate about health and fitness and so she co-founded a Fitness Program, Xtrim Bollywood, promoting health and fitness throughout the Bay Area

Nirmala’s professional experience includes 11 years as a manager at Genentech, a biotech company located in South San Francisco. She was actively involved with the South Asian Network at Genentech (SANG), a diversity networking group at Genentech, for over 10 years and held various positions including Co-Chair of the organization. She currently works for Kaiser Permanente as a Project Manager and holds a Project Management Professional certification and a Master’s Degree in Biochemistry from USF.

If there is one thing you must know about Nirmala it is that she strongly believes that privilege always comes with a responsibility. She believes the capacity to serve is what truly gives life its deepest significance. There is joy in serving others. It is a way of life that enriches the quality of living. It puts more life into your year (quality) and more year into your life (quantity) and promotes personal growth through “Service Above Self”.

Nirmala believes that being a commissioner teaches us to be Citizens of the world. Through all of our activities and service, we work to create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of our world. She can’t wait to see what this next year unfolds!

Aileen Cassinetto

Aileen Cassinetto

Financial Learnings Committee Member

Commission on the Status of Women, San Mateo County

Aileen Cassinetto was the 2019-2022 San Mateo County Poet Laureate, the first Asian American appointed to the post. She was named an Academy of American Poets Fellow in 2021, and a Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 100 honoree in 2023 for her contributions in building regenerative and equitable communities through the arts. The co-founder of Paloma Press, she co-edited the award-winning climate change anthology, Dear Human at the Edge of Time, a companion to the congressionally mandated Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5). She was featured in programs presented by the Exploratorium, the U.S. Global Change Research Program, American Geophysical Union, Kulturhuset Islands Brygge Cultural Center, U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai, Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C., Japanese American National Museum, Mystic Seaport Museum, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, among others. She sits on KQED’s Community Advisory Panel and Filoli’s curatorial committee, and currently serves as a Commissioner on the Status of Women for San Mateo County.

Aki Dayag

Aki Dayag

Story-teller & Student

College of San Mateo

Aki Dayag (she/her) is a second-year student at the College of San Mateo studying English, Ethnic Studies, and Political Science. Originally from Tarlac, Philippines, Aki’s early experiences ignited her personal decolonization journey. She is heavily involved as a leader in Katipunan at the College of San Mateo, a Filipino learning organization focusing on creating community, learning, and reconnecting with indigenous Filipino roots and spirits. She feels deeply connected to the liberation mission for both her homeland and the broader Filipino diaspora.

Trish Erwin

Trish Erwin

Financial Learnings Committee Member

Commission on the Status of Women, San Mateo County

Trish recently joined the County’s Commission on the Status of Women in the fall of 2023.

La Saundra Gutter

La Saundra Gutter

Financial Learnings Committee Member

Commission on the Status of Women, San Mateo County

My name is La Saundra Gutter and I am a newly appointed commissioner to the Commission on the Status of Women.  I have lived in San Mateo County for almost 50 years with a brief 10 year stay in San Francisco.  I am mother to two wonderful human beings, a son and a daughter.  I recently retired from San Mateo County after 20+ years of service.  My position at retirement was Institutions Services Manager at the Youth Services Center.  Prior to this position, I worked on the living units directly with young girls for 10 years and also worked with young boys. I spent many years focusing on improving the lives of young people and worked with many community-based organizations as well as in-house Mental Health services to provide essential programming for the youth.  Although challenging, this work gave me great pride and internal gratification.  

I am a graduate of California State University at Hayward where I hold a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Management and a BA in Sociology. 

I am a dedicated Bay Area sports fan who loves to root for the home team, Warriors, 49ers, and Giants. Now in retirement you will find me more in the stands cheering.

It is my hope that my presence and work on the Commission will manifest positive outcomes for women and children in San Mateo County.

Azalea Renfield

Azalea Renfield

RISE 2024 Emcee

Executive Director, Williams & Russell Community Development Corporation

Azalea Renfield is a woman dedicated to public service and serving communities of color. Azalea champions equity, human rights, housing, and economic development. With over ten years of local government experience serving in a variety of roles such as Community Services Manager; Community Programs Manager; Economic Development and Housing Manager; and Assistant to the City Manager, Azalea truly embraces driving change, leading, and empowering communities of color-especially women.

Azalea currently serves as the Executive Director of Williams & Russell Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit dedicated to community and economic development. Azalea is responsible for strategic direction and oversees all areas of the organization including policy, housing & economic development, programs and services, asset management, and partnerships.

Azalea has earned her master’s in public policy (MPP) from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law; master’s in public administration (MPA) from the University of San Francisco; master’s in human resource management (MS-HRM) from Golden Gate University; and her bachelor’s degree in American politics and communication from University of California, San Diego. Azalea’s commitment to hard work and determination earned her the honor of being selected as a recipient of the University of California, Washington Center (UCDC) Academic Program in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.

Ellen Tafeen

Ellen Tafeen

Financial Learnings Committee Member

Commission on the Status of Women, San Mateo County

Born and raised in the Boroughs of New York City to immigrant parents (refugees from the Holocaust), I am very interested in helping others achieve a better quality of life. In helping to assist Seniors in our communities, I am active in local AARP activities: Driver Safety Instructor, National Board Member of the Safety Driver Tech Program and Tax-Aide Preparer. In addition to being nominated as a commissioner to the Commission on the Status of the Women, I am also a member of San Mateo’s Civil Grand Jury. I look forward to be of service to our community.

Susan Takalo

Susan Takalo

Financial Learnings Committee Member

Commission on the Status of Women, San Mateo County

After graduating from the University of California at Santa Cruz, Susan Takalo worked in social services for 46 years with a particular focus on hunger and underserved communities.  Since 1984, she has served in a variety of capacities with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. After her retirement in June 2023, she will have more time to devote to her passion for community work. She has participated in a range of community-based committees such as the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Advisory Committee and Daly City ACCESS.  She served as the founding co-chair of Thrive’s Emergency Preparedness Taskforce.  She is an active member of the Pride Initiative, a project of the San Mateo County Office of Diversity and Equity; The Pride Center; and Coast Pride. She was recently appointed to the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women.

Anisha Weber

Anisha Weber

Financial Learnings Committee Member

Commission on the Status of Women, San Mateo County

Anisha Weber is a native to the Peninsula, born and raised in Palo Alto, living in Redwood City, and worked in San Francisco. As former COO of Primitive Logic and Managing Director at Logic20/20, she focused on people and operations, client strategy, and mindful solution delivery. Previously, she worked for Accenture across the financial services industry and PeopleSoft technologies. With over 25 years of digital transformation experience in technology and solution consulting, Anisha is an engaged EQ executive able to bridge business and technical needs, while also growing company culture and employee morale within industry, boards, and commissions. Always curious and seeking ways to build a better place to work and collaborate. Comfortable leading tactical and strategic initiatives and eager for each new challenge.

Actively involved in her community — around home, at work, and with her alma mater — Anisha continues to provide time, talent, and treasure to numerous boards, committees, and service organizations. As a San Mateo County Commissioner on the Status of Women, Anisha focuses on topics such as STEM for Young Women, Financial Literacy and Economic Empowerment, Human Trafficking, Women’s Leadership Conference and Hall of Fame, and Women in Tech. She is a long-time member of Vistage and embraces curiosity and lifelong learning. Anisha is a graduate of University of San Francisco’s MBA program, and served on various USF boards and committees, such as Past-President of Alumni Board of Directors, former member of Board of Trustees, former President of MBA Alumni Society, including the Community Service Committee. Additionally, Anisha received her B.A. in Communications with minors in Business and German from the University of Oregon in Eugene. Following her undergraduate degree, she worked for the Rothschild Bank in Zurich, Switzerland for three years and for Stanford University for two years, before her MBA. Anisha is a first generation American, her parents are from Switzerland and Holland, and she continues to maintain close ties with immigrant communities/groups from both countries. https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishaweber/

Jacki Rigoni

Jacki Rigoni

Chief of Staff for District 2

The County of San Mateo

Jacki Rigoni (she/her/ella) is the Chief of Staff for District 2 Supervisor Noelia Corzo’s office. Jacki brings deep professional experience as a creative director and copywriter as well as leadership in activism to the District 2 community she’s called home for over 20 years. She is a published author and served for three years as Poet Laureate of Belmont, where her poems can be found in
public installations. Jacki has an M.A. from U.C. Berkeley in English and a B.A. cum laude from Marquette University in English, Spanish, and Psychology. She holds two California teaching credentials and speaks four languages, including Spanish and Marshallese, a language she learned serving in the Peace Corps. She is a long-time resident of Belmont, where she is single mom to three activists-in-training.

Kalimah Salhuddin

Kalimah Salahuddin

President

Jefferson Union High School District Board of Education

Kalimah Salahuddin currently serves as the President of the Jefferson Union High School District Board of Education. She is a Past President of the San Mateo County School Boards Association (SMCSBA) where she served for two years and continues to serve as an area representative. At the County level, she served on the COVID-19 Recovery Council and is one of the founding members of the REACH Coalition, an advocacy group made up of elected officials and community leaders of color to increase equity and community health for all. She also currently serves on the Board of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, Caminar, and previously served as a Board Member for Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco where she has been a regular site volunteer. She is currently employed at Exelixis as the DEI Community Programs Manager and is a mother to three wonderful adults.

Opening rally with Aimee Allison and _____

10 AM

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