I am a first generation American. My parents survived war-tortured Poland as children, grew up under communism, and defected in the 1960s to a better life in America. They expected achievement from their children commensurate with the opportunities available in this country and so by the time I was 25 I had earned a double major in Engineering and Philosophy from Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Stanford. I actually did work on rockets for a while so my friends like to use the “It’s not rocket science” joke whenever I make a mistake. My entrepreneurial experience began working as an engineer for a medical device startup, founding a light industrial machine tool startup, and then helping two Stanford undergrads launch what became Evite.com.
This all led to running my own small business that supports angel investors. These are people who love to invest their time and money helping entrepreneurs bring positive change to the world. I have successfully guided this membership based business through two recessions, and I learned a lot from helping more than one hundred other small businesses grow—from high-tech startups to neighborhood restaurants.
I recently finished a six-year term on the Board of Directors of Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, which delivers three million meals a year to homebound seniors. During my tenure on the Meals on Wheels Board, we raised a capital campaign of $45m to build a new state of the art kitchen to increase threefold the number of people served.
Stepping off the Meals on Wheels board means I have more time to give back and serve the home that I love. This is what led me to volunteer this year to serve on Sausalito’s Economic Development Advisory Committee where I was elected Vice-Chair. There I led some creative thinking on how to buy the Bank of America property and what to do with it. I also proposed revisions to the Statement on Racial Justice, which were adopted for recommendation and served on an ad hoc team that helped expedite building permits for a local business that was in danger of closing without them.
I love Sausalito. I love the people, the waterfront, the town’s character—and its characters. I count myself one of them. I ride everywhere I can on my bicycle, and love to kayak and paddle board. I’m a lifetime member of the Sausalito Cruising Club and an avid sailor. All of us who live here cherish Sausalito’s colorful nature, its beauty and its economic diversity. I am running for City Council because there is so much more we can do as a community to keep us on the path of progress. Your vote will help me move the city forward.
