Speakers

Political and Proud is honored to host inspiring women speakers and panelists from the Greater Bay Area at our February 21st event! Scroll down to learn more about these incredible women.

PLUS a special video from National Women's March Treasurer and Co - Chair, Carmen Perez!

Keynote Speaker:

Pamela Price (Civil Rights Attorney)

Pamela Price was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and survived years spent in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. She graduated from Yale College with a B.A. in Political Science.

Pamela has spent her entire career advocating for justice for women. She has successfully represented countless victims of sex and race-based discrimination. Her compassion for victims is deeply rooted in her own personal experiences with sexual harassment, domestic violence and the criminal justice system.

She was honored as Woman of the Year for Assembly District 18 in 2017 and was named one of the Nine Most Influential Actors in Title IX History by the ACLU.

This bio was taken from Ms. Price's biography on (http://www.pypesq.com/attorney/about/)

A Video From:

CA Senator Nancy Skinner (CA SD 9)

Elected in November of 2016, State Senator Nancy Skinner represents California’s 9th Senate District.

A social justice advocate, energy and climate change trailblazer, and accomplished legislator, Skinner completed three terms in the State Assembly.

In the Assembly, Skinner served as Chair of three key committees: Budget, Rules and Natural Resources. As Budget Chair she oversaw the largest funding boost to childcare and preschool in over a decade; increased state support to our State University and UC systems, cut the number of juveniles incarcerated in state facilities by half, and established a new dedicated fund to reduce prison recidivism.

Skinner took on the Gun Lobby, successfully passing two groundbreaking gun violence prevention measures. To get corporations to pay their fair share, Skinner authored the bill that requires Amazon and other internet retailers to collect sales tax which is now bringing close to a $1 billion a year in new revenue to support vital services for California families. An environmental and climate protection champion, Skinner carried measures that doubled rooftop solar and renewable energy.

A graduate of UC Berkeley with a BS and an MA, Skinner co-founded the labor union representing graduate student instructors and was a leader in the UC South Africa Divestment movement.

Senator Skinner began her public service in 1984 as the first and only student to be elected to the Berkeley City Council. On Council Skinner introduced the nation’s first Styrofoam ban and co-founded an international association of cities, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. After her term on the City Council, Skinner served as Executive Director of ICLEI’s US office and International Director of ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection program which engaged cities worldwide to take action to stop climate change.

Skinner is a past member of the East Bay Regional Park District Board, a former small business owner and an advocate to increase women in elected office. She served on the Board of the East Bay Women’s Political Caucus and launched the statewide Women in Power Pac (WIP Pac) to support Democratic women.

This bio was taken from Ms. Skinner's biography on (http://sd09.senate.ca.gov/biography)

A Special Video From...

Carmen Perez (National Women's March Co-Chair and Treasurer)

Carmen is something of a Renaissance woman in modern-day activism. She has dedicated 20 years to advocating for many of today's important civil rights issues, including mass incarceration, gender equity, violence prevention, racial healing and community policing.

As the Executive Director of The Gathering for Justice, a nonprofit founded by legendary artist and activist Harry Belafonte, Carmen is the co-founder of Justice League NYC and founder of Justice League CA, two state-based task forces for advancing juvenile and criminal justice reform agenda. She has organized numerous national convenings, including Growing Up Locked Down conferences on juvenile justice, and led the March2Justice, a 250 mile march through 5 states from New York City to Washington, DC which drew Congressional attention to key legislative reforms to confront the national crisis in police violence.

Carmen’s most recent work is her role as the National Co-Chair of the Women’s March on Washington, drew over 5 million people across the globe who marched in resistance of hatred and bigotry, affirming women of all identities’ rights as human beings.

This bio was taken from Ms. Perez's biography on (http://www.mscarmenperez.com/about/)

Hydra Mendoza (Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Equity to the San Francisco Mayor and San Francisco and SF School Board Member)

Hydra Mendoza is a strong advocate and supporter of public education. She is a product of public schools and a parent of two public school children.

Hydra was the former Executive Director and a founding member of Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco, a national organization who engages parents and community members to support, promote, and improve public education.

Hydra is the first and only Filipina elected to office in San Francisco. In 2006, 2010, and 2014, Hydra successfully won a city-wide bid and re-election for a seat on the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education where she serves as the Vice President.

She currently works in her position as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Equity to the San Francisco Mayor and as a San Francisco School Board Member.

This bio was taken from Ms. Mendoza's biography on http://sfmayor.org/about-hydra-mendoza.

Sameena Usman (Government Relations Coordinator at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter)

Sameena graduated Magna Cum Laude from San Jose State University with a BA in Political Science and minors in Middle Eastern Studies and Communications. After graduating, Sameena worked as a Field Representative for Assemblywoman Sally Lieber’s office.

She currently serves as a Government Relations Coordinator for CAIR-SFBA where she regularly meets with Bay Area elected officials to advocate for positive legislation and to highlight issues within the community, including civil rights complaints received by the office. She actively works to build bridges with communities, conduct interfaith dialogue, educate youth, and empower the American Muslim community.

The bio was taken from the CAIR website. (https://ca.cair.com/sfba/about/our-staff-interns/)

Lara Mendel (Co-Founder and Executive Director, The Mosaic Project)

Lara works tirelessly to inspire inclusive communities and believes that, like Gandhi said, “If we are to reach real peace in the world, we must start with the children.” Lara holds the vision for a peaceful, equitable world very close to her heart and The Mosaic Project is the culmination of her personal and professional experience.

Lara graduated from Stanford University with B.A. and M.A. in Anthropology. She has worked extensively in violence-prevention and with youth in several countries promoting understanding of self and different cultures.

This bio was taken from Ms. Mendel's biography on (https://mosaicproject.org/about/people/staff/)

Elisa Batista (Former Campaign Manager at Mom’s Rising/Mamas Con Poder)

Elisa is a bilingual journalist, family advocate and mom of two. She is a former Campaign Director for MomsRising / MamásConPoder, and cofounder of MotherTalkers, an award-winning parenting community that has been recognized by Ms. Magazine and Latinos in Tech Innovation and Social Media.

Elisa serves on the board of the Ecology Center in Berkeley, California, an organization dedicated to creating a sustainable and healthy future for all. Her background is in print journalism; she created the wireless beat for Wired News, and currently contributes to the Daily Kos.

This bio was taken from Ms. Batista's biography on (https://www.momsrising.org/blog/users/elisa-batista)

And a welcome from...

Trish Herrera - Spencer (City of Alameda Mayor)

Trish Herrera Spencer was elected mayor in November, 2014. She is proud to serve as the first Hispanic Mayor of the City. She is an environmentalist, advocate for smart growth, and strong supporter of education. She is also an attorney.

Her husband and she raised four children in Alameda. She’s a nine year breast cancer survivor (“triple negative,” which more frequently occurs in women of color) and supporter of Relay for Life.

This bio was taken from Ms. Herrera Spencer's biography on (https://alamedaca.gov/city-council/mayor-trish-herrera-spencer)

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