Life has taught me that education and leadership go hand in hand. As a free society, education is the cornerstone of our government. Our Junior College system is one of the most influential organizations to that end. I enjoy the phrase "lifelong and perpetual student." It struck a chord the first time I heard it and made me think about issues that we might all embrace - a love of learning and affordable education for all Californians. As an aside, my children gave me a renewed sense of seeing the world, by living through them. I see the world through their eyes and I bring that kind of fresh educational leadership to the table.

The largest deciding factor to my family and myself while considering a run for this post is my experience on the staff of the late Congressman George Brown. In my capacity as Congressional Field Representative for almost four years, I had the benefit of traveling our region and hearing the challenges and successes of our neighbors. I had the opportunity to work with the US Department of Education to solve problems presented to our students on a daily basis.

If you want a trustee on the board that is a proven problem solver and a true foot soldier, then I urge you to consider our campaign. The accomplishments I speak of are the collective efforts of people I admire and work alongside. Together we can effect change and usher in new leadership within our local community colleges.

Thank you for your time and together we can move our education system forward.