Angelica Ramos
President, National Women's Political Caucus of Silicon Valley
Angelica (she/her) is a political and public policy professional with more than a decade of experience in strategic planning, policy development, coalition building, project management, and program implementation in the public and nonprofit sectors. She currently serves as lead policy staff for Children, Families, and Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg. Prior to taking on this work, Angelica managed Ms. Ellenberg’s successful 2018 campaign. Angelica holds a Bachelor of Arts, Law & Society from The American University in Washington, D.C. and a Juris Doctorate with a specialization certificate in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice from Whittier College School of Law. She was most recently a Spring 2021 CORO Women in Leadership Fellow and has been awarded additional past fellowships from the Center for Children's Rights, the California Center for Research on Women and Families, and the Children's Defense Fund of California. Angelica lives in San José with her husband and has committed to honoring their rescue dog, Josie, who crossed the rainbow bridge in March of 2022.
Margaret Abe-Koga
Council Member, City of Mountain View
Margaret is in her fourth term on the Mountain View City Council. Elected in 2006, she became the first Asian American female to serve on the Mountain View City Council and as Mayor in 2009 during the Great Recession. She served again as Mayor in 2020, where she led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic. Margaret has been a champion for sustainability, transportation, affordable housing, public safety, diversity, equity, and inclusion. he serves on regional bodies including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors as an ex-officio member, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Silicon Valley Clean Energy Board and as the Santa Clara County Cities Association 1st Vice President. rior to her service on the City Council, Margaret served as Trustee for Area 1 on the Santa Clara County Board of Education. argaret holds an AB in American Government from Harvard University. he and her husband have two college-age daughters.
Dianna Zamora-Marroquin
Director of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte
Dianna serves as the Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. Her career has focused on equity and civic engagement, leading her to develop the political program for a local Labor Council, work for a renowned research firm in San Diego and live in Washington, D.C. working for two California Congressmen. Dianna serves on numerous boards that focus on diversity, equity healthcare and women's rights. Dianna earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California and master’s degree in Global Leadership with a certification in Project Management from the University of San Diego.
Gabriela Chavez-Lopez
Executive Director / Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley
Gabriela is the first Executive Director of Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley. She is a community catalyst; passionate about uplifting and championing voices around challenging issues in our community — particularly those that disproportionately impact Latinas & people of color. She has an entrepreneurial spirit and is committed to systems-change work that removes structural barriers for women and the underserved, from reaching their truest potential. She operates with an abundance mindset and is dedicated to empowering and cultivating Latina leaders prepared to make a collective impact now and into the future.
María Marroquín
Executive Director, Day Worker Center of Mountain View
Maria has been a driving force behind the success of the Day Worker Center of Mountain View for nearly two decades. She joined the Center as a house cleaner in 1999 and began organizing the workers on the street when its original Los Altos location closed in 2001. In 2005, she became Executive Director of the Center, which became a thriving non-profit with its own building, staff, and community-wide support. Known for her contagious passion and dedication to helping others, Maria has inspired others to want to help, causing the Day Worker Center to have many dedicated volunteers.
Gabriela Chavez-Lopez
Executive Director, Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley
Gabriela is the first Executive Director of Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley. She is a community catalyst; passionate about uplifting and championing voices around challenging issues in our community — particularly those that disproportionately impact Latinas & people of color. She has an entrepreneurial spirit and is committed to systems-change work that removes structural barriers for women and the underserved, from reaching their truest potential. She operates with an abundance mindset and is dedicated to empowering and cultivating Latina leaders prepared to make a collective impact now and into the future.
Dr. Linda Prieto
Executive Director, Upward Scholars
As the daughter of immigrants who left México to give their children a better life, Dr. Linda Prieto grew up working in the agricultural fields of the central San Joaquin Valley in California, but her heart was in the classroom. In second grade, her teacher was the first person she ever heard say the word college – until that point in her life, Dr. Prieto didn't know anyone who had more than a sixth-grade level education. But like her parents, she too believed that education could break the cycle of poverty. A belief in education drove her to earn her Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Stanford, a Master’s degree in education from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in education from UT Austin. She began her work in the nonprofit sector as vice-president of programs at ALearn, a Santa Clara-based math and college readiness program for underserved students. In addition to serving as Executive Director of Upward Scholars, she is raising her son to be just as excited about learning and service as she has always been.
IdaRose Sylvester
Executive Director, Appetite for Good
IdaRose Sylvester is a community leader, nonprofit founder, and tech entrepreneur focused on helping people and organizations reach their full potential. She is the Vice-Chair of Mountain View’s Human Relations Commission, fighting for equity for all in her community. She is involved in many nonprofits, sitting on boards covering environmental sustainability, mental health, local history, and city planning. At the start of the pandemic, she built the startup nonprofit, Appetite for Good to help restaurants while feeding those in need, winning multiple awards for her effort and helping save dozens of small businesses while providing meals and dignity to the food insecure. She has seen directly the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women. She is also the founder of Silicon Valley Link, a company providing hands-on support and strategic vision, helping startups build and grow from day one to successful exit. She has a passion for supporting women leaders. She has worked with the State Department to support emerging women leaders, across all professions, from South Africa, Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan, and Sierra Leone. She co-founded WIRE, a Bay Area nonprofit encouraging and helping women run for political office. And she’s supported women around the world to grow tech startups and grow the confidence needed to succeed, Silicon Valley-style! She holds a Bachelor's Degree from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the FW Olin School.
Duanni Hurd
President, and CEO of Starlight Caregivers
Duanni Hurd is a co-founder, President, and CEO of Starlight Caregivers. This private duty home care organization was founded in 2013 and licensed in CA, providing home care and care management services for aging adults and disabled individuals. Duanni spent over a dozen years as a business development executive with major tech companies before stepping aside to pursue her passion for servicing the vulnerable. She is also a registered administrator for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) and a registered administrator for Adult Residential Care Facilities (ARF) in California, as well as a certified care manager (CMC).
Mouna Raad
Education Manager,Parents Helping Parents
Mouna Raad is an Education Manager at Parents Helping Parents. In addition to supporting families through the educational process in-and-outs, she is a parent herself to four amazing adults. Mouna's background includes international regulatory affairs and teaching languages.
September Jarrett
Program Officer for the Education Program, Heising-Simons Foundation
September Jarrett is a program officer for the Education program of the Heising-Simons Foundation, focusing on policy and systems change in California. Before her work at the Foundation, September served as executive director of the San Francisco Office of Early Care and Education and program director at the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund. Early in her career, she helped develop the Child Care Facilities Fund of the Low Income Investment Fund, an award-winning public-private partnership designed to expand the supply of high-quality early care and education facilities.
Dr. Heidi Emberling
Deputy Chief of Early Learning, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County
Dr. Heidi Emberling is Deputy Chief of Early Learning at FIRST 5 Santa Clara County. She has worked in Early Learning and Care for more than 20 years, focusing on supporting young children, families, and early educators. Before FIRST 5, Dr. Emberling was Director at Parents Place, a Jewish Family & Children's Services program, where she worked for 16 years.
