SAN FRANCISCO—On Tuesday, January 22, Mayor Breed appointed Jenny Lam to serve on the San Francisco Board of Education.  Lam will fill the vacancy left by Matt Haney, who resigned from his position after being elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

“I am proud to appoint Jenny Lam to serve on the San Francisco Board of Education,” said Mayor Breed. “Jenny has fought for public school students and families at both the local and state levels and she has stood up for immigrant communities so that all are welcome in San Francisco and its schools. Both as a professional and a parent, she has demonstrated a commitment to improving our public schools and to promoting equity throughout our entire school district.”

According to a press release from the Mayor’s Office, Lam has dedicated her career to public service and social change and has served in a number of executive leadership positions with nonprofit organizations, including Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) in San Francisco.  She previously worked as co-chair of two San Francisco Unified School District committees: the Public Education & Enrichment Fund Committee and the Quality Teacher and Education Act Committee.

“I’m honored and excited to serve on the San Francisco Board of Education,” said Lam. “As a parent and a community advocate, I’ve seen the challenges our public school system faces and the immense positive impact educational opportunity can have on the lives of our children and our families. I will continue to fight for our diverse students – by supporting English language learners, fostering supportive learning environments, closing the achievement gap and striving for excellence in every school and every classroom.”

Lam is currently the Education Advisor in the Office of Mayor Breed. As the Education Advisor, she manages and carry outs the policies of Mayor Breed and advances strong partnership between the public school system (early childhood, K-12 to secondary education) and the City. Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, Lam served as a State Engagement Manager at EducationSuperHighway, a national non-profit upgrading Internet access in every public school classroom so that every student has the opportunity to take advantage of the promise of digital learning.

Lam is a resident of San Francisco with her husband and two children, who attend San Francisco public schools. The seat that Lam has been appointed to will be up for a special election in November 2019. The winner of that election will have to run again in November 2020, which is the normal election cycle for the four-year seat.