For the past 18 years, Heather has served as a Professor of History and Gender and Women’s Studies at Ohlone College in the East Bay. Students are at the center of all that Heather does. She is a beloved educator, recognized in 2020 as the Ohlone College “Faculty of the Year.”
As a former community college student, Heather knows firsthand the impact of community college classes. She strives to find innovative ways to expand educational access and support students to realize their goals. In pursuit of this mission, Heather helped to co-found and now co-directs the Lytton Center for History and the Public Good. The Lytton Center supports students, faculty, and staff through programming and initiatives related to access, equity, inclusion, justice and service.
Heather is a faculty leader and organizer, having served in numerous leadership roles in both her labor union and the Faculty Senate. Through her previous experiences as chief negotiator for the faculty union and member of the Ohlone College Budget Committee, Heather has developed a keen understanding of the financial challenges facing community colleges. Her breadth and depth of knowledge of such fiscal matters makes her uniquely qualified to lead City College to long term financial health.
Heather has dedicated her professional and personal life to the community college system because she truly believes in the transformational power of education. When she struggled as a new mom, she turned to City College for support and enrolled in parenting courses. These classes taught her much needed parenting skills and allowed her to form enduring friendships with other new parents. City College helped Heather to navigate a major transition in her life.
Outside of Ohlone College, Heather serves on the Board of Directors for ScholarMatch. The nonprofit supports underserved first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds with advising, mentoring, and targeted financial support to help students apply to, pay for, and persist in college. Heather is deeply committed to the San Francisco community. She volunteers with the Stay Over Program at Buena Vista Horace Mann, which provides shelter for unhoused students in SFUSD and their families. Heather believes in the magic of San Francisco, and previously shared it with tourists and locals as a volunteer SF City Guide for the Mission Dolores Neighborhood.
As a candidate for Board of Trustees, Heather wants to help CCSF through its current transitional period. Heather will bring her 18 years of experience in the California community college system to reimagine and rebuild City College. Heather believes CCSF plays a vital role in the health and prosperity of our city and that we simply cannot afford to lose it.