Zabrae Valentine Email & Phone Number

Oakland, California, United States

I take on projects that can improve civic engagement in the political process to improve the quality and impact of public policy, with a specific interest in removing barriers to economic opportunity. Examples of assistance provided:✦ The Public Policy Institute of California: Serve as strategy and impact consultant to the vice president and director of PPIC’s Economic Policy Center (Focus: How CA can build on the skills, diversity, & innovation of Californians to power the economy +… Show more I take on projects that can improve civic engagement in the political process to improve the quality and impact of public policy, with a specific interest in removing barriers to economic opportunity. Examples of assistance provided:✦ The Public Policy Institute of California: Serve as strategy and impact consultant to the vice president and director of PPIC’s Economic Policy Center (Focus: How CA can build on the skills, diversity, & innovation of Californians to power the economy + individual opportunity and progress) ✦ The People/New Hampshire Together: Provided a recommendation for the design of a 50+ prsn statewide Citizens Assembly that could be the basis for a flexible national model designed to show popular support for a host of common-sense policy positions across the US; Project included working intensively on the development of an online platform to support small group dialogue; Project-managed implementation of state pilot, which included supporting community meetings throughout the state, managing a statewide poll, testing a range of recruiting methods, developing online dialogues, developing policy backgrounders, and assisting with a three-day convening in Manchester (June ‘24) on improving trust in elections, improving political responsiveness with an emphasis on the state legislature, and reducing extreme political polarization through electoral reform.✦ The Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University: Project managed and contributed to the development of educational background materials for the America in One Room Climate and Energy Deliberative Poll (962 participants); Designed and led a subsequent pilot testing the DDL’s online small group discussion platform as a tool for civic knowledge building, prepared in-depth analysis of the potential for their online platform (or others) to enable the public to engage in substantive, constructive and rewarding dialogue in small groups of individuals with diverse experiences and views. Show less

Alameda County, California, United States

The Commission oversees federal, state, and local elections in Alameda County, making sure the registrar of voters is transparently and accurately handling everything from voter education to ballot counting.

✦ Escuela Bilingue Internacional Parent Assoc. Pres. ('24-05)✦ Adv. bd, Creating Citizens, Commonwealth Club of CA ('19 - pres.)✦ Co-convened Economic Mobility Collab. ('16 - '20)✦ Benefits Access and Equity Adv. Council ('23 - pres.)✦ Bd member, CA Common Cause ('12 - '22, '24-) policy cmte chair ('12-'22)When I left CA Fwd I was part of a professional cohort that seeks to better engage people in civic life, but I thought more experience in the "local volunteerism… Show more ✦ Escuela Bilingue Internacional Parent Assoc. Pres. ('24-05)✦ Adv. bd, Creating Citizens, Commonwealth Club of CA ('19 - pres.)✦ Co-convened Economic Mobility Collab. ('16 - '20)✦ Benefits Access and Equity Adv. Council ('23 - pres.)✦ Bd member, CA Common Cause ('12 - '22, '24-) policy cmte chair ('12-'22)When I left CA Fwd I was part of a professional cohort that seeks to better engage people in civic life, but I thought more experience in the "local volunteerism ecosystem" (vs. the "long-distance" kind = largely digital) might enable me to be more effective. So... post-CA Fwd I sought to focus on hyper-local work. Here is some of what that's looked like (PS: Bless the legions of people who put in countless hours in their communities, year-in and year-out, without a thought of recognition = heroes).✦ Served as strategic planning lead for an Oakland League of Women Voters capacity building grant, awarded by the Alameda Co. Dept. of Corrections; coordinated and supervised volunteers and consultants to develop a five-year strategic plan (Aug '17 - April '18) ✦ Chaired the Rockridge Community Planning Council ('13 -'15); Led the following initiatives: Improved financial oversight; Cut overhead expenses; Re-established relationship with Rockridge District Assoc. (merchants assoc.); Organized events to help the neighborhood improve public safety; Conducted survey of local commercial activity in response to concerns related to vacancies on College Ave; Collected, analyzed and reported on data examining local values and priorities and on what improvements locals hoped to see in the future; Revamped local Town Hall program; Reinstated volunteer appreciation events✦ Assisted in developing local gov't initiatives to reform Oakland's redistricting process and strengthen the City’s Public Ethics Commission ('13-'14) ✦ CA League of Women Voters Task Force member to evaluate and issue rec.s related to organizational fundraising and advocacy ('12) Show less

The California Forward Action Fund is a statewide, bipartisan organization working to enact state-level governance reforms that have been developed by its sister organization, California Forward. (See below) ✦ Was part of the four-person team that proposed and went on to design and build California Forward and the CA Fwd Action Fund (sister" statewide non-profits), for the purpose of accelerating a statewide governance reform agenda; the effort was funded by five of the largest… Show more The California Forward Action Fund is a statewide, bipartisan organization working to enact state-level governance reforms that have been developed by its sister organization, California Forward. (See below) ✦ Was part of the four-person team that proposed and went on to design and build California Forward and the CA Fwd Action Fund (sister" statewide non-profits), for the purpose of accelerating a statewide governance reform agenda; the effort was funded by five of the largest institutional donors in California✦ Oversaw all aspects of the organization including policy and political analysis; strategic planning; legal issues including IRS and Fair Political Practices Commission compliance; the preparation and filing of multiple ballot measures; fundraising; budgeting; contracting with and managing part time consultants and vendors; and management of the Action Fund Board of Directors✦ Co-wrote and helped lead the campaign to enact Proposition 11/The Voters First Act (2008), to establish an independent, citizen redistricting commission, which now draws state legislative and Congressional district lines decennially (the subsequent Prop 20 added responsibility for Congressional line drawing) Show less

San Francisco; Sacramento; Los Angeles

California Forward is a statewide, bipartisan, governance reform project working to produce a range of policies to make state government more responsive and accountable to Californians. ✦ In 2006-07, was part of the four-person team (ref'd above) that proposed and went on to design and build California Forward and the CA Fwd Action Fund for the purpose of accelerating a statewide governance reform agenda; the effort was funded by five of the largest institutional donors in… Show more California Forward is a statewide, bipartisan, governance reform project working to produce a range of policies to make state government more responsive and accountable to Californians. ✦ In 2006-07, was part of the four-person team (ref'd above) that proposed and went on to design and build California Forward and the CA Fwd Action Fund for the purpose of accelerating a statewide governance reform agenda; the effort was funded by five of the largest institutional donors in California✦ Was CA Fwd’s lead on redistricting reform from the campaign for Prop 11 (which I co-drafted) in 2008 through the final implementation of the new policy including successful line-drawing by the new independent commission in 2011 ✦ Managed the 2011 Statewide Deliberative Poll, “What’s Next CA” for CA Fwd (as the lead partner of several organizations this meant managing the nearly $2 million budget, the website, communications and numerous other aspects of the project) ✦ Oversaw all of CA Fwd’s polling and numerous research and special projects✦ Built and co-managed the organization from its inception including all strategic planning and execution, managing all legal issues in consultation with legal counsel, building and supporting the Leadership Council, and managing personnel, contractors and vendors Show less

San Francisco, California

I designed Voices of Reform with Commonwealth Club CEO Gloria Duffy, then ran it. 'VoR' promoted pan-partisan discussion of issues related to California governance geared toward identifying concrete ways to improve government accountability and performance, and provided policymakers and the public a variety of arenas in which to discuss these issues. The project was guided by a steering committee of experts in state policy, politics, and public communications and played an instrumental early… Show more I designed Voices of Reform with Commonwealth Club CEO Gloria Duffy, then ran it. 'VoR' promoted pan-partisan discussion of issues related to California governance geared toward identifying concrete ways to improve government accountability and performance, and provided policymakers and the public a variety of arenas in which to discuss these issues. The project was guided by a steering committee of experts in state policy, politics, and public communications and played an instrumental early role in redistricting reform in CA.✦ Led and managed all aspects of the project including strategic planning, programming, day-to-day operations and personnel, communications, and fundraisingHighlights:✦ VoR Bipartisan Policy Dialogue (2006). Led to the Bipartisan Redistricting Reform Coalition, supported by 100+ policy professionals throughout CA including from government, academia, media, issue and community advocacy, labor and business. (In June ’06 Gov. Schwarzenegger aligned himself with the Coalition’s bipartisan redistricting reform principles and continued to consult with the Coalition’s leaders on redistricting and other reform issues) ✦ "Making Government Work" Editorial Board Series. Organized and led the first multi-newspaper print collaboration in CA. For over a year, seven major CA newspapers alternated in hosting/ participating in multi-paper editorial board round tables on issues like the impact of redistricting on voter choice, the influence of money in politics, and the impact of state budgeting practices on policy outcomes, which the papers published in conversation format ✦ Development and production of over 30 panel discussions, with venues throughout the state, many of which were featured on the radio and the California Channel Show less

Lilongwe, Malawi

NDI in Malawi provided training and technical assistance to Malawian Parliamentarians serving as chairs and vice chairs of the Malawi Parliament's policy committees, as well as to representatives of civil society to improve skills supporting policy analysis and the monitoring of budget expenditures. I was actively involved in all of these activities.✦ Formed advocacy network of civil society-oriented organizations (local, national, and int'l) focused on issues related to agriculture and… Show more NDI in Malawi provided training and technical assistance to Malawian Parliamentarians serving as chairs and vice chairs of the Malawi Parliament's policy committees, as well as to representatives of civil society to improve skills supporting policy analysis and the monitoring of budget expenditures. I was actively involved in all of these activities.✦ Formed advocacy network of civil society-oriented organizations (local, national, and int'l) focused on issues related to agriculture and rural economies✦ Organized and managed civil society budget monitoring initiative (Malawians monitored national budget allocations, expenditures, and service delivery related to health care, education, and rural livelihoods; the level of civic participation in the Malawi program was unprecedented among countries implementing Poverty Reduction Strategies in coordination with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund)✦ Coordinated major food security campaign (the agriculture network played a key role in facilitating transfer of information on food availability and distribution in the early stages of the ‘02 food crisis and in pressuring government to respond to the crisis)✦ Organized ’02 budget monitoring workshop to assess the efficacy of the FY ‘02 monitoring exercise and prepare for monitoring the next cycle✦ Provided ongoing training and technical assistance to the Chairs and Vice Chairs of multiple Malawian Parliamentary committees and civil society networks to support analysis and input on government policy and legislation, budget expenditures, and the development of Malawi’s Poverty Reduction Strategy✦ Drafted guidebook on civil society budget monitoring for NDI and UNDP: “Parliaments and Poverty Series, Toolkit #2: Parliamentary-Civic Collaboration for Monitoring Poverty Reduction Initiatives” (2004) Show less

Washington D.C.

✦ Managed the Senator's responsibilities as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and caucus activity pertaining to farm/food safety/interstate trade policy✦ Coordinated Democratic caucus activities, positions, and political strategy related to agriculture policy✦ Worked on a range of policy issues on behalf of the Senator, including food safety; trade; economic/rural development; conservation; biotechnology; economic competitiveness; the… Show more ✦ Managed the Senator's responsibilities as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and caucus activity pertaining to farm/food safety/interstate trade policy✦ Coordinated Democratic caucus activities, positions, and political strategy related to agriculture policy✦ Worked on a range of policy issues on behalf of the Senator, including food safety; trade; economic/rural development; conservation; biotechnology; economic competitiveness; the farm bill; and the federal budget and appropriations as they related to agriculture Show less

Sacramento, California, United States

I'm bundling the work I did immediately after college and prior to grad school... This included... ✦ Work for a terrifically effective legislator on numerous issues, including helping legalize the use of pepper spray for self defense (where I learned about capsaicin and Scoville units...) ✦ Work for the CA Medical Association, where I had the chance to research, analyze, and assist in the development of legislation; advocacy, grassroots organizing, and communications related to… Show more I'm bundling the work I did immediately after college and prior to grad school... This included... ✦ Work for a terrifically effective legislator on numerous issues, including helping legalize the use of pepper spray for self defense (where I learned about capsaicin and Scoville units...) ✦ Work for the CA Medical Association, where I had the chance to research, analyze, and assist in the development of legislation; advocacy, grassroots organizing, and communications related to managed care reform legislation (which was hot at the time -- these were the "Hillary Health Care" years); and prepare CMA's '93 and '94 HMO expenditure survey that became one of the focal points of statewide debate over HMO spending patterns.✦ Freelance writing for the CA Assoc. of Counties, the Water Agencies and others on the state budget and reimbursement to local agencies for state mandated programs, and editing of reports on pesticide regulation, the history of state fairs and expositions, and poverty assessment. Show less

Education record

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Political Science