I'm a San Jose native, lifelong feminist, firm believer in democracy, proud public servant and mom to three amazing SJUSD students, ages 8, 10, and 15. I believe that my personal history, professional development and commitment to community make me an ideal candidate for this opportunity to represent the residents of area 3. Appointed in 2019 to the SJUSD School Board, I humbly ask for your continued support.

I am deeply rooted in our community, the product of some of the hardest working women you could ever meet starting with my maternal grandmother, Carmen Hernandez. She was a devout and loving single mother of five, a migrant field worker who settled in this valley with a dream for her family to have the opportunity to know the health, stability, and opportunities she could not imagine for herself. My mother, Drina Collins, bridged professionalism and upward mobility to provide me with great opportunities that made my childhood question not whether I would go to college but where.

More than anything, today I’m grateful to be raising my own family in the city where I grew up and to work in the Division of Equity & Social Justice for our County Administration. Each day I am aware of the incredibly privileged space I hold and feel a deep sense of obligation for our community. That obligation includes working to ensure my children – and the 28,000 children that SJUSD serves – have a safe, positive environment where they, too, can thrive.

I have volunteered and worked for issues I care deeply about since I was a child. My professional life has allowed me to explore how organizations can better meet the needs of historically underserved communities. In the last decade I've created collaborative space for decision makers to explore how every policy, every program and every funding decision made impacts the lives of women and girls in Santa Clara County. This translates well to the work of the SJUSD Board as it tackles critical issues such as closing the opportunity gap, setting policy to implement Title IX in a way that is victim centered, or supporting educational programming that provides students and families options that meet multiple learning styles and interests to create joyful, kind, and successful global citizens.

I am proud to be known as someone who listens and acts in the community's best interest and to have earned to sole endorsements of leaders: Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, State Senator Jim Beall, Assemblymembers Evan Low and Ash Kalra, Supervisors Dave Cortese, Cindy Chavez, many school board members throughout the county, and civil rights leader Dolores Huerta. I have also earned the sole endorsement from the county Democratic Party, BAYMEC, the San Jose Teachers' Association, South Bay Labor Council, and democratic clubs including the Stonewall Dems, API Dems, Young Dems, Democratic Activists for Women Now, and the High School Dems. The San Jose Mercury Newspaper also declared me the best choice based on my leadership and experience. 

My priorities are to bring our students and staff safely back to campus, increase communication, especially during these difficult times, and always lead with equity. 

I am a progressive Democrat who believes that high quality, public education is essential to our democracy.

Tomara is an Afro-Latina from Central Valley, California who grew up in a life of poverty & violence. Despite facing these obstacles, Tomara found purpose and success in academics and athletics. Since 2014, she has worked as a Special Education Teacher when she joined Teach For America in San Jose, California. She works to help families and children envision and successfully lead a life beyond survival.

A former higher education advocate and college athlete, Tomara earned a B.A. in Economics and Political Science, and an Education Specialist credential and M.A. in Special Education from her Alma Maters CSU Stanislaus and Loyola Marymount University respectively. Tomara was able to work closely with parents as an Advocacy and Policy Fellow for a parent education organization based in San Francisco through Leadership for Education Equity in 2015. She continues this parent support as she works at Dartmouth Middle School, leading parents who have students with IEPs and are from non-English speaking households in parent empowerment classes to learn about and help eliminate barriers to success.

Working with teachers, parents, and school administrators as an Equity Leader on campus, Tomara strives to ensure that students in high need have equal access to education. Tomara aims to improve student success through relevant curriculum, support teachers through self-paced professional development, and provide opportunities to learn how to build and implement equitable systems.

I am a progressive Democrat, and socially and fiscally liberal. I believe in analyzing the roots causes of issues and making the necessary system changes to better address the needs of the people. I also believe the government, local, state and federal, has an obligation to address inequalities, and more particularly inequities, in communities and regions by supporting education and social services.