Candidate for
Member, County Board of Education; County of San Francisco

My wife, Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez, and I have a seven-year-old daughter in public school in San Francisco.

My parents immigrated to the United States during World War II seeking a better future and economic opportunity. We lived in one of the poorest communities in the country and valued family, education and hard work. I grew up in a union household with both parents worked + my father as a janitor and my mother as seamstress in a factory.

Ever since college I have been involved in advancing progressive movements and economic justice relevant to economically disadvantaged communities and people. Over the past twenty years I have dedicated my life to help build public and private partnerships that foster educational opportunities, career pathways, civic duty and corporate responsibility for students, workers and families.

I have had the honor to serve in the public sector at the federal and state levels. In 1993, I was appointed by President Clinton to be the Assistant Director of Science Education at the U.S. Department of Energy. I was instrumental in developing national programs to provide Master Teacher Professional Development Scholarships and fellowships for economically disadvantaged students and their professors from Community Colleges.

At the state level, I spear-headed the creation of the first Labor and Workforce Development Agency and help launch programs to fully-fund student teachers who desired to have expertise in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) subject matter at UC and CSU campuses. I later served as the Chief Deputy Labor Commissioner ensuring that the most innovative and progressive laws related to fair wages, break periods, work safety and others were adequately enforced.

I currently serve on the SF Workforce Investment Board helping to develop public policy around programs to expand youth employment opportunities in the city. I also serve on the Governor's Employment Training Panel, reviewing and assessing proposals from companies and not-for-profit organizations on how to best invest in programs that create jobs and upgrade the skills of workers that sustain our economy.

In the private sector, I worked to help advance telecommunication and technology competition in the market place and to protect consumers from unfair practices of big accounting firms.

I also serve as the Legislative Chair of the San Francisco District Parent Teacher Association (PTA) addressing complex issues related to budget cuts, academic achievement, anti-bullying, arts and science enrichment programs and transportation, while working closely with SFUSD, the Board of Supervisors and other city officials. I serve on the Bilingual Community Council for San Francisco Unified School District, and finally, I am a founding father of the Futures Without Violence Organization.

I will continue to prioritize addressing policy issues affecting K + 12 public education, workforce development, unemployment, job training, apprenticeships and ending domestic violence.