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Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Susan Sweeley

Candidate for
Board Member; Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District; 4 Year Term

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This information is provided by the candidate

I am a 20-year resident of Los Altos and live with my husband of 33-years near Loyola Corners. Our two children attended Loyola Elementary School, Blach Middle School and Mountain View High School. The oldest continued on to graduate from University of Colorado with majors in molecular biology, chemistry and biochemistry. The youngest will graduate from UC Santa Barbara in December with a major in Communications. My husband and I attended public schools in our home town, Modesto, California and graduated from San Jose State University. I completed my Masters in Business Administration at the University of Portland, while my husband completed his MBA at Stanford University.

I became very active in our community's education when our children first entered elementary school. I started with the Loyola PTA in various committee roles, moving up to executive leadership as Vice President. My executive leadership roles continued while our children attended Blach Middle School. I was also very active with fund-raising for the MVLA Education Foundation to help complement our schools limited finances and served on the Foundation Board. In 2000, I was elected as a Trustee of the MVLA Union High School District where I have served for the past 8 years.

As a Trustee, I am an active member of the California School Boards Association (CSBA) and the Santa Clara County School Board Association (SCCSBA). I completed a variety of training programs designed to educate Board Trustees on state laws, responsibilities and best practices. I also served as Treasurer for the SCCSBA. I became a Board Member of the MVLA Community Scholars to help an organization that raises funds to provide scholarships for high school students that might otherwise not attend college. As a Mentor for the MVLA Scholars and the Partners for a New Generation, I am mentoring a MVHS graduate as he attends the Foothill Community College. You can learn more about MVLA Scholars at http://www.mvlacommunityscholars.org.

I became a board member of Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC) in 2003 as it provides important counseling services for our students and the community in need. CHAC's mission statement is to provide alternatives to self-destructive behavior, and to help create healthy lives for the children and families of Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and the surrounding communities. This is an important safety net for students struggling with personal challenges. You can learn more at http://www.chacmv.org

I am a founding Director of JustREAD Centers, a non-profit literacy program that provides one-on-one tutoring to middle and high school students, many of whom are at risk of dropping out of school. I became involved as a volunteer tutor for students at Alta Vista High School. This is a great organization that is directly helping our disadvantaged students. You can visit their web site at http://www.justreadcenters.org

I serve on the Challenge Team, a community-based, non-profit partnership of students, school districts, police departments, community organizations, parent groups and health service groups collaborating to prevent alcohol, tobacco and other drug-related problems in our community. This is an important investment to help all of our current and future students. You can learn more at http://www.challengeteam.org

During the 2007-08 school year, I successfully attended and graduated from Leadership Mountain View. This is an outstanding program in which 32 participants are selected and attend 9 1/2 days of training over a nine month period. Through this program, I better understand how city government works, how Mountain View fits into Silicon Valley, what are the critical issues facing local education and public safety, what are the needs of our area and how citizens can make a difference. You can learn more about the program at http://www.chambermv.org/leadership

I am also a Panel Member on the Ethics Board for the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. In this role, I resolve issues and complaints that are filed against Realtors in the Silicon Valley region. I see this as a way to help families in our community and to use my MVLA Board experience to improve the professionalism and conduct of realtors. You can visit the ethics page at http://www.silvar.org

I am currently a 10-year veteran real estate Broker with Alain Pinel Realtors in Los Altos. I received the Life Time Achievement Award by the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors for my success as a consistently top performing realtor in the area. Feel free to visit my professional web site at http://www.ssweeley.com to learn more about me.

Education Leadership Experience

· Trustee, Mountain MVLA Union High School District (2000-present)

· Member, California School Boards Association (2000-present)

· Representative and former Treasurer, Santa Clara School Boards Association (2000-present)

· Board Member and VP, Community Health Awareness Council (2003-present)

· Board Member and Treasurer, JustREAD (2007-present)

· Advisory Board Member, MVLA Community Scholars (2007)

· Board Member, MVLA Education Foundation (1996-2000)

· Vice President, Blach Middle School PTA (1995-1997)

· Vice President, Loyola Elementary School PTA (1993-1995)

Community Leadership

· Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, CHAC Volunteer of the Year 2007

· Partners for a New Generation, Mentor

· Challenge Team, Member

· Leadership Mountain View, Leader

· JustREAD Centers, Tutor

· Girls Scouts of America, Leader

· Cub Scouts of America, Den Mother

Professional Work Experience

· Real Estate Broker, Alain Pinel Realtors (1998- present)

· Life Time Achievement Award, Silicon Valley Realtor Association (2001)

· Panel Member, Silicon Valley Real Estate Ethics Board (2002-present)

· Marketing Manager, Tandem Computers (1981-1996)

Education

· MBA, University of Portland (Business Administration, 1980)

· Bachelor of Arts, San Jose State University (Journalism, 1974)

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 27, 2008 14:42
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