Thrive & SIAG Social Impact Series Building a Better Pipeline: Supporting Diverse Political Candidates for a Stronger Democracy
San Mateo County’s elected officials, in all layers of government, are overwhelmingly white and male, not representative of the diversity of our County. For instance, our Board of Supervisors is 100% white compared to 40% of our population, and 80% male. We need leaders from communities of color and women to bring their knowledge and lived experience to policy making. How do we build a pipeline of BIPOC and women candidates and support their journey to elected office? Join us for a panel discussion with leaders and advocates who are breaking down the barriers to create a more diverse slate of candidates to represent our local population.
Featuring: Valerie T. McGinty, President and Founder of Fund Her; Mairin Macaluso, Director of Member Impact and Engagement at Leadership Now Project; Rose Jacobs Gibson, President/CEO of Hagar Services Coalition, Inc; Nicole Fernandez, Chairwoman of the San Mateo County Democratic Party.
This event is being presented by Thrive Alliance and Social Impact Advisory Group (SIAG)
*Zoom information will be sent to registered attendees.
Speakers
Valerie T. McGinty, President and Founder of Fund Her
Valerie T. McGinty is the founder and president of Fund Her, powering progressive women to lead California. Founded in 2017, Fund Her is the only PAC dedicated to closing the gender gap in California politics by 2028. Working alongside organizations that focus on training (Emerge) and recruiting (Close the Gap), Fund Her provides the missing piece—the financial support to ensure that accomplished progressive women are well-positioned to win.
Mairin Macaluso, Director of Member Impact and Engagement at Leadership Now Project
Mairin Macaluso is the Director of Membership at Leadership Now Project. The Leadership Now Project was incubated by a group of Harvard Business School alumni as an innovative model for sustained and strategic engagement to fix democracy. It now has member groups in five cities. Mairin most recently lead the Harvard Business School Association of Northern California as Executive Director, leading successful fundraising efforts and a full slate of alumni programming. Before that, as a Senior Partner with The BLG Group, a medical device consultancy, Mairin completed over 20 marketing strategy and international commercialization projects for early- and mid-stage healthcare companies. She also co-founded The Sports Basement, a thriving community-focused sporting goods business in the Bay Area. Mairin graduated from UC Berkeley and Harvard Business School.
Rose Jacobs Gibson, President/CEO of Hagar Services Coalition, Inc.
Rose Jacobs Gibson served from 1999 to 2012 on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, representing the 4th district, which includes the communities of Redwood City, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and unincorporated North Fair Oaks and Oak Knoll. During her board service, she initiated Shared Vision, the county’s long-term strategic planning process, and was co-chair of the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust of San Mateo County (HEART), a public-private partnership to create a funding mechanism to build new, permanently affordable housing. During her tenure, her priorities were affordable housing, strategies to reduce health inequities in San Mateo County and social justice, juvenile and criminal justice issues. Her desire to improve the quality of life for all residents motivated her to find solutions to problems and develop innovative, proactive approaches to build a stronger, more vibrant San Mateo County. Ms. Jacobs Gibson is also the founder, President and CEO of Hagar Services Coalition, Inc. Founded in 1994, Hagar Services Coalition, Inc. has a mission dedicated to planning and implementing intervention programs designed to restore, renew and rebuild families and community. She has expanded the scope of the organization to focus on leadership development, community succession planning and preparing new leaders for elected and appointed service by forming the Initiative for Leadership, Engagement and Development (ILEAD). ILEAD is designed to provide practical information and training to individuals and families, empowering them to become civically engaged leaders active in local government, community and regional issues.
Nicole Fernandez, Chairwoman of the San Mateo County Democratic Party
Nicole Fernandez currently serves as the chairwoman of the San Mateo County Democratic Party, working to ensure that candidates who reflect the party's diversity and progressive values are elected to local office. She is the first millennial, the first member of the AAPI community and only the 2nd woman of color to hold this position. A San Mateo County native and proud child of immigrants, she holds a B.A. from San Jose State University in Political Science and currently serves on the City of San Mateo Community Relations Commission and on the Board of Directors for Samaritan House.
Call in information will be provided after registration
