As a field representative for State Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan, Cherise enjoys connecting with constituents and community leaders, gathering perspectives and informing them about state bills and resources.As a school board member, she promotes welcoming, inclusive, and safe schools where every student can thrive.Cherise brings to these roles decades of experience in education policy, nonprofit management, and community organizing. She was fortunate to have a top-notch education in engineering, and then to discover community organizing through the AmeriCorps*VISTA program. Working with residents of affordable housing, her eyes were opened to the inequalities in education and the lack of a level playing field in this country. That motivated her to earn an MPA in Education Policy and Nonprofit Management. In Seattle she worked for the League of Education Voters, running a statewide initiative to increase state funding to public schools. Her master's degree project was creating the weighted funding formula for that initiative.After moving to California, she led a reading program for struggling students in 10 Concord and Bay Point schools, piloted educational tablets for a tech startup locally and internationally, and launched a district wide Education Foundation for Mt Diablo Unified School District. After leading a successful Safe Routes to School coalition that built crosswalks, speed signs, and bike lanes to improve safety for kids to walk and bike to school, she decided to run for school board to make a wider impact.In Cherise’s first term as a school board member, Mt Diablo Unified opened schools safely during a global pandemic, while improving district finances and refinancing bonds to save taxpayers millions. They upgraded district technology, provided every student a chromebook, adopted Next Generation Science curriculum, secured raises for all teachers and staff, added a student school board position to increase student voice, and improved district communication in all languages. Cherise firmly believes in the power of building communities together where everyone can thrive.