Rosemary Kamei
President, term expires in 2020
Area 3: Cambrian, Campbell Union, Luther Burbank, Moreland, Union and Campbell Union High school districts and a small portions of San Jose Unified and Santa Clara Unified
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Rosemary is a dedicated public servant committed to improving education especially in our underserved communities. Rosemary is currently the chief operating officer for Silicon Valley Education Foundation.
Her previous experience includes serving as the Executive Director of Building Futures Now (BFN) in East Palo Alto, providing direct services to many students and families who face very similar circumstances that mirror her own life as a child growing up in the Bronx, New York, with her first language as Spanish. As an English Language Learner, she understands the obstacles faced by many families and the struggles they go through to achieve a good education for their child. Rosemary also understands the economic barriers that exist in poor communities that lack the resources to advance out of poverty. Her experience is a true testament that through a good education success can be achieved, which she instills in the students at BFN.
In her prior role as Development Director at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, she worked closely with businesses, foundations, individuals as well as various School Districts, teachers, staff, students and families to change the trajectory of students to close the achievement gap. Rosemary was able to secure funding for the East Side Alliance and the Campbell Consortium to bring a collaboration of school districts to work together as a collective impact. She was also able to raise funds for programs and services to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs for students in underserved communities. She worked with a task force of early childhood education leaders, principals and superintendents on the effects of math in the early years of a child’s education. Rosemary also advocated on the importance of understanding the A-G requirements and the course taking patterns of students as they advanced from middle school through high school.
Public service is a priority for Rosemary to engage in the community to help find solutions to issues or problems. She feels privileged to have spent 17 years as a Director of the Santa Clara Valley Water District and involved with the community through various nonprofits, the business sector and serving on various government committees. She also taught for two years at San Jose State University and understands the preparation needed for students in college for success in future careers. Rosemary views the opportunity to serve on the Santa Clara County Office of Education as an honor to address educational policy issues that she is passionate about.
Rosemary is currently a member of the American Leadership Forum Class XXIX. She formerly served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. On weekends, she can be found training as a cyclist or hiking in the beautiful open spaces of Santa Clara County. Rosemary is the mother of two grown children, Ellen and Jonathan. She is married and resides in San Jose with her husband, Tom.
