About Virginia
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Virginia earned her B.A. in Government and Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2007, she was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the California Commission for Economic Development. She served on the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury for two years from 2007-2009 and as Foreperson from 2008-2009. During her time on the Civil Grand Jury, she led an effort to connect public school fire alarms to first responders, such as fire departments (2008-2009); curb public employee pensions in San Mateo County cities (2008-2009); and discourage public agencies from using cash out re-funding of their general obligation bonds (2007-2008)-- a practice that has since been deemed illegal in California.
Virginia has fifteen years of professional experience in corporate financial analysis, planning, and investments. She is a former Senior Director of the Nasdaq Stock Market and has worked at some of the country’s leading financial institutions. She serves on the boards of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, ConservAmerica, and the Sequoia High School Education Foundation. She is a member of the San Mateo County Community College District’s Measure G Parcel Tax Oversight Committee and the Sequoia Union High School District’s Career Technical Education Steering Committee. She is a guest lecturer on “Women & Management” at Notre Dame de Namur. A daughter of Chinese immigrants, Virginia was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She and her husband, Ken, live in unincorporated West Menlo Park with their two sons. Upon her election to the board in 2011, Virginia is the second woman in the 96-year history of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District to serve on the board. |
The Goals I Want to Achieve
As a Director, I want to achieve the following goals for our fire district:
- Financial stability, sustainability, and accountability
- Installation of school fire alarms in portable classrooms and connection of school fire alarms to fire stations
- Long-term strategic planning for more efficient operations
- Fire safety education for children, using the Survive Alive House, to teach emergency response and survival skills
My Background Experience To Achieve These Goals
- Fifteen years of corporate financial analysis, planning, and investments:
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Drexel Burnham Lambert
Alex. Brown & Sons Bear Stearns PaineWebber |
- Senior Director, NASDAQ Stock Market, Business development and client management
- Commissioner, California Commission for Economic Development (current)
- Committee member, San Mateo County Community College District Measure G Parcel Tax Oversight Committee (funds career technical education programs, such as the Fire Technology program, which prepares students to meet the high standards required for a career in fire service as a firefighter or in its related fields of fire protection services) (current)
- San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury; Foreperson (2008-2009), accomplishments include recommending:
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- Silicon Valley Red Cross board member (current)
- Chair, Survive Alive House, a joint Junior League and MPFPD community project, educating young children about fire safety (1999-2000)
My Community Outreach Experience & Education
- B.A. in Government & Economics, University of Texas at Austin
- Notre Dame de Namur, Guest Lecturer on “Women & Management”
- Board member, Redwood City Police Activities League (PAL) (current)
- Board member, Sequoia High School Education Foundation (current)
- Sustainer, Junior League of Palo Alto*Mid-Peninsula
- Former Las Lomitas PTA President
- Former Executive Committee Member, Las Lomitas Education Foundation
- Former President, Palo Alto/Menlo Park Parents Club
- Former President, Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
- Former board member, The Tech Museum of Innovation
