Thea has a lifelong connection to public education. Not only did she attend public institutions from Kindergarten to UC Berkeley, Laney Community College (Oregon) and the University of Oregon, she has also sent her two children to public schools across San Francisco, from Rosa Parks in the Western Addition, to Aptos on Ocean, Presidio Middle School in the Richmond, Balboa High School in the Excelsior, and Lowell High School.
She was Vice President of Rosa Parks Elementary for several years, and worked to integrate the general education and Japanese Bilingual Bicultural sides of the school in what is now known widely to be an excellent elementary program.
In addition to her passion for public education for all, Thea is passionate about providing good public transit for all the people of San Francisco. She serves as Chair of the nonprofit advocacy organization San Francisco Transit Riders, an organization dedicated to advocating for world-class public transit in San Francisco.
She started out in politics working within her neighborhood, and is a co-founder and board member of the Lower Haight Merchant + Neighbor Association.
She continues her work making the Democratic Party more democratic as the elected AD17 Executive Board representative for the California Democratic Party (2017-2019). Thea earns her living as a small business owner of a call-to-action and digital marketing and communications firm in San Francisco, Next Steps Marketing.
Thea graduated from UC Berkeley with an AB and from the University of Oregon with an MBA. She is the mother of a 20 year old studying at UC Berkeley and a 16 year old at Lowell High School. Thea lives in the Lower Haight on Haight Street with her husband of 26 years, the aforementioned 16-year old son, and a beloved tuxedo cat Mitzi.
