Dauber told the Weekly that he doesn't plan to seek another term, having now served two consecutive four-year terms. Dharap, first elected in 2018, confirmed that he does plan to run for reelection. He is endorsing Chiu-Wang's candidacy, along with fellow current board members Jennifer DiBrienza and Jesse Ladomirak, according to Chiu-Wang's website. Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg also is listed as endorsing Chiu-Wang.
Chiu-Wang lives in Palo Alto's Midtown neighborhood with her husband and two young sons. Her older child will begin transitional kindergarten in the Palo Alto school district this fall, Chiu-Wang told the Weekly. This is her first time running for public office, she said.
"Like so many other young families, my husband and I chose to raise our children in Palo Alto because of the excellent public schools here," Chiu-Wang said in a press release.
"We are incredibly privileged to have access to this caliber of K-12 public education and I believe with that privilege comes a duty to tackle the tough, systemic problems that are preventing many children in our community from reaching their full potential both in school and after they graduate."
One of her goals is to focus on investing in early childhood education, which she said on her website is the way to systemically prevent issues like the current gaps in achievement that fall along racial and socioeconomic lines.
Chiu-Wang also wants to improve students' mental health, which she said includes having access to health care professionals, putting more supportive adults on campuses, improving students' sleep and reducing unnecessary academic pressure.
She states that her other goals include inspiring students to "own their futures" by giving them the tools to explore and pursue their passions, as well as expanding how schools educate students and measure their progress beyond standardized tests.
Chiu-Wang also pointed to her experiences as an Asian American woman in a district where close to 40% of students are Asian.
"It is not lost on me that I am an Asian American woman running for a seat on a board that hasn't had an Asian American woman board member in over a decade, during a time where AAPI hate crimes are on the rise," Chiu-Wang said in the press release. "Representation matters — it matters for the needs of all members of our community to be heard and for our children to see leaders that look like them."
Chiu-Wang works at Google, where she leads the trust and safety team for an advertising product that serves small- and medium-sized businesses. She joined Google after spending four years of running Boon + Gable, a venture capital-backed fashion technology startup that she co-founded.
She has a law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and volunteers as a mentor to students, recent graduates and entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds.
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