Candidate for
Board Member; Mount Diablo Unified School District

APRIL P. TREECE

As a communications leader in both the nonprofit and for-profit business sectors, April Treece successfully blends career, community and volunteer responsibilities to benefit children, families and the community as a whole. As a dedicated advocate for public schools and countywide school reform issues, she has worked to build alliances between public education and business.

First elected to public service in November 2000, Treece is President of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District Board of Education. She ran unopposed for re-election to the board in 2004 and is seeking to retain her board seat in 2008.

As principal of OPUS Communications, a Clayton-based public relations practice she established in 1996, Treece is a consultant to the nonprofit Contra Costa Economic Partnership (CCEP). Since 2001, she has served as project director of CCEP's Workforce Initiative, where she has represented business interests, functioning as an intermediary between public education (K+16) and industry to develop effective, long-term workforce pipeline strategies in specific high-wage, high-skill, high-demand clusters in Contra Costa County.

A 30-year public relations professional, Treece has worked in the corporate environment as well as with numerous school districts and nonprofits. Her work has focused on ensuring the success of programs and projects through identifying and influencing appropriate stakeholders; effectively implementing strategic planning processes; performing media and community relations; and improving employee, parent and community communications.

As a leader in the business community, she has brought innovative programming to students and educators through the Business and Educators Shadowing for Tomorrow (BEST) program; Kids and the Power of Work (KAPOW); the State of Education Annual Report-Back Forum; successful summer camps for high school teachers and students; the Intel-affiliated Contra Costa Science and Engineering Fair and numerous other efforts.

A volunteer member of the Board of Directors of the Contra Costa Council and co-chair of the council's Workforce Development/Education Task Force, Treece maintains the organization's focus on closing the "achievement gap," works to create a seamless system of student transitions from K+12 to post-secondary education and training, and leads the organization in key education legislation advocacy.

Newly appointed (in 2008) to the Executive Board of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, Treece has served on the chamber's Board of Directors since 2007 and has been an active business/education committee volunteer since 1996. In 2008, she was invited to join the Contra Costa County Workforce Development Board, having served three years on the board's Youth Council. She is also a member of the Contra Costa P-16 Council and the East County Business/Education Alliance.

Before launching her own business, Treece was a public relations director for a Fortune 500 Bay Area company, where she spearheaded several award-winning school part-nerships. She created an educational nonprofit designed to bridge the business and education communities to benefit students and also served as President and Board member of San Francisco School Volunteers.

A graduate of Mt. Diablo Unified schools, Treece resides in Clayton with her husband and daughter, who was a successful 2006 graduate of local public schools. A parent ad-vocate, Treece has also been a parent school leader.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP--

• Board of Directors, Contra Costa Council, since 2001.
• Co-Chair, Workforce Development/Education Task Force, Contra Costa Council, since 2006. Also chaired this task force, 2000-2003.
• Project Director, Contra Costa Economic Part-nership Workforce Initiative, since 2001.
• Board of Directors, Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, 2007. Appointed to Executive Board, 2008.
• Education Roundtable, Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, since 1995. Created and coordinated BEST Day, KAPOW, State of Education Report-Back Breakfast and annual Teacher Recognition events.
• Contra Costa P-16 Council, since 2006.
• Business/Education Committee, Richmond Chamber of Commerce, since 2005.
• East County Business/Education Alliance, since 2005.
• Board of Education, Mt. Diablo Unified School District, since 2000,
• Founder/Board Member, Pleasanton Partnerships in Education, 1986-1988.
• Board Member, Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, 1986-1988. Founder and Chairperson, Business/Education Committee, 1985-1987.
• Founder and Member, Valley Corporate Volunteer Council, Pleasanton, 1985-1988.
• Founding Member, BOOST, Contra Costa County Office of Education, 1985-1987.
• President and Board Member, San Francisco School Volunteers, 1983-1986.

• Principal, OPUS Communications, since 1996.
• Twenty-one years in public relations for a For-tune 500 company, SF Bay Area.
• Five years as a communications consultant serving local educational organizations.
• Seven years as project director of a county-wide, business-led intermediary organization working with public education and business.

HONORS & AWARDS--

• Contra Costa Council Distinguished Service Award for the Workforce Initiative, 2007.
• California Health Occupations Students of America Administrator of the Year Award, 2006.
• Contra Costa Council Outstanding Task Force Chair, 2001.
• Distinguished Achievement Award, EdPress (Acalanes District), 2001.
• Friend of Adult Education Award, Mt. Diablo Adult Education, 2000.
• Friend of Education, Acalanes Union High School District, 1997.
• 1987 U.S. President Ronald Reagan Citation for Private Sector Initiatives, presented at White House ceremonies in Washington, D.C., for innovative programming, volunteerism and business/education engagement in Pleasanton.
• Volunteer of the Year award for creating the Pleasanton Partnerships in Education nonprofit, 1987.
• Award of Excellence Pleasanton Union High School District-- award for creating Business/Education Committee at the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, 1986.