Running for Office: How & Why

Are you passionate about transforming San Mateo County into a better place for all? Have you been thinking about running for the school board, city council, Board of Supervisors, or another office? Along with Leadership Council San Mateo County, Thrive invites you to hear the stories of local community members who have run for office to make a change. Their journeys will demystify the process and inspire you to run for office.

Features East Palo Alto Councilmember Antonio López, San Mateo Councilmember Amourence Lee, San Mateo Union High School District Trustee Ligia Andrade Zúñiga, and San Mateo County Community College District Trustee Lisa Petrides. They will share their experiences, inspiration, and how they are creating change through their elected offices.

**On Zoom, with Spanish interpretation and live transcript available.

*Zoom information will be sent to registered attendees.

Councilmember Amourence Lee has lived in San Mateo with her family for over a decade. Councilmember Lee was elected to office in November 2020. Her 15+ year career has focused on building strong and empowered communities in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. She was appointed to the council in 2019 and served as Vice-Chair of the Parks & Recreation Commission and the General Plan Subcommittee. She is an active board member of the Home Association of North Central San Mateo (HANCSM).

Councilmember Antonio López was elected to the City Council in November 2020. He serves as the alternate on the Board of Directors of Commute.org and the New Market Tax Credit Advisory Board. Councilmember López is an activist working at academia, poetry, and politics intersections. As district representative for State Senator Josh Becker, he serves as the liaison for the Latinx, veteran, and Muslim communities of state district 13. Councilmember López is currently fighting gentrification in his hometown as the newest and youngest council member for East Palo Alto.

Trustee Lisa Petrides was elected to the San Mateo County Community College District Board in November 2020. She is the founder and CEO of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME). It is an education nonprofit dedicated to making learning and knowledge-sharing participatory, equitable, and open. A Coastside resident for 18 years, she is a former faculty member in the Department of Organizational Leadership at Columbia University, Teachers College. Lisa is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum of Silicon Valley and a Board member of the Palo Alto nonprofit Kafenia Peace Collective.

Trustee Ligia Andrade Zúñiga serves on the San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees. She has dedicated her focus on educating, advocating for, and empowering individuals with disabilities and young people of color around higher education, reproductive health rights, civil rights, and disability justice. For over 20 years, she has served on many commissions, boards, and committees such as the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of San Mateo County, San Mateo County Health Commission, California State Independent Living Council, and the San Mateo County Commission on Disabilities.

Running for Office: How & Why

Tuesday, February 22, 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Register Here

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