Menlo Park Fire Protection DistrictCandidate for Board Member

I have the privilege of serving on both the San Mateo County Harbor District Board of Commissioners and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District Board of Directors.  I am proud to be the first Asian-American woman to serve on both boards and the second woman in the 100+-year history to serve on the Menlo Park Fire Protection District Board.

In November 2015, I was appointed to the Harbor Board and, in 2016, won a full four-year term and am currently serving my first term on the Harbor Board.  The Harbor Board’s limited sphere of influence serves Pillar Point Harbor in El Granada on the San Mateo County Coast and Oyster Point Marina in South San Francisco on San Francisco Bay.  In 2011, I was elected to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, which serves southern San Mateo County in Atherton, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and sections of unincorporated San Mateo County.  In 2015, I had an uncontested race and am currently serving my second term on the Fire Board.

In 2007, I was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California Commission for Economic Development, serving on the Commission from 2007-2014.  As a Commissioner, I was appointed by Lt. Governor John Garamendi to chair the Commission’s Biotech Advisory Committee.  Professionally, I have fifteen years of experience in corporate financial analysis, planning, and investments and am a former Senior Director of the Nasdaq Stock Market and worked at some of the country's leading financial institutions. 

Currently, I am a Trustee on the California State Parks Foundation and a Disaster Volunteer and  former board member on the Silicon Valley Red Cross Board of Directors.  I also serve on the board of WIRE for Women, an organization that helps elect women to local, nonpartisan offices, and am a founding board member of the San Mateo County API Caucus. 

Having served on numerous nonprofit boards, I now spend my time on disaster preparedness and response as a CERT volunteer for the Fire District and a disaster response volunteer for the American Red Cross.  I am also a licensed ham radio operator.  In 2015, I was honored to be named by the Silicon Valley Business Journal as a “Woman of Influence.”

In 2020, I earned my Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, graduating with honors, and graduated in 1986 with B.A. in Government with a minor in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.    

​A daughter of Chinese immigrants, I was born and raised in Austin, Texas.  I am a former concert pianist and, for fun, like to knit, stitch, run, read, and write.  My husband and I live in unincorporated Menlo Park and are the proud parents of two sons and our adopted family dog.

I believe in being an ethical and honest public servant and upholding the highest standard of integrity.

I believe in prudent fiscal oversight, management, and accountability of tax dollars; being good environmental stewards for future generations; providing a safe and harassment-free work environment for employees and essential workers; and ensuring that the public is safe and healthy, especially during these uncertain times of COVID-19.

I believe that the most important characteristics of an elected official are being honest, acting and upholding the office with integrity and the highest degree of ethics, being true to your convictions, collaborating with fellow elected officials, putting aside personal and political agendas in order to serve and do what's best for the public, looking at all angles and perspectives to solve a problem, being respectful toward colleagues and staff, and listening with an open-mind and generous heart.