I strongly believe that the Party has significant potential for growth and development over the next few years. Guided by my values of inclusiveness, honesty, and determination, I believe I can contribute to the Party and help us work through the challenges we will be facing. My skills as a group facilitator, team builder, and critical thinker will help us develop goals that we can work together to achieve in the coming years.
Short biography:
Born Fresno, California. Attended UC Santa Cruz, B.A. Environmental Studies, 1998. I have lived in Oakland since 1995, when I was working with the East Bay Conservation Corps AmeriCorps program doing outdoor community service projects. I have continued my involvement with hands-on environmental work and education over the years with the Friends of Sausal Creek, the Lake Merritt Institute, and the Golden Gate Audubon Society. I am currently exploring and evaluating what I can give to the world, and plan to attend graduate school... I just need to pick a field of study (and a school).
Those who know me appreciate my warmth and sense of humor, as well as my deep commitment to the Green values of non-violence, social justice, feminism, and ecological wisdom.
I love talking about ideas, especially about changing the world. I got involved in the Green Party so that I could work with others to build a true alternative to the anti-democratic nature of the two party system in this country. I'm still an idealist, tilting at windmills.
Some positions I support for the Green Party of Alameda County are: working to connect to other progressive persons and organizations working around Green issues, including global economic sustainability, anti-war, and environmental justice. We need to work to activate volunteers on a regular basis to increase our numbers and our political clout. I support the formation of local chapters of the Green Party and am very proud to have helped the Oakland Greens get off the ground.
I wish I could do something about the internal conflict that our local Greens are enduring. I am a firm believer in the spirit of consensus-based decision-making, but am torn by the amount of bad feelings that the process of consensus can generate when there is limited time, poor communication, and lack of mutual respect among all participants in the process. I pledge to remain committed to the organization, even if I disagree with or am hurt by the actions of individual members.
