Nicole Chiuwan, a local technology entrepreneur and volunteer, announced her candidacy for the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education on Monday.
Congressman Mark Berman, Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, the current school board, and other local officials endorsed Chiuwan's candidacy in a press release Monday.
As executive director of Dreamcatchers, a local nonprofit that works to reduce the opportunity gap in Palo Alto, Chiuwan's current role is to promote equity in the school system, the release states.
“I am committed to tackling the difficult and systemic issues that prevent so many children in our community from reaching their full potential in school and beyond, while at the same time bringing our best to the table.” We believe in expanding the scope of the program,” Qiuwan said in a statement.
Approximately 40 percent of Palo Alto School District students are Asian, and Chiuwan hopes to become one of the few Asian board members in the city's history.
“I am proud to be an Asian American woman running for a seat on the board that has not had an Asian American female director in over a decade,” she wrote.
Chiu-wan ran for the 2022 school board election, but fell short of third place and conceded with just over 20% of the vote. But she “stood up” and vowed she would run again in this November's election.
Chiuwan, who has two children in Palo Alto Public Schools, is passionate about making the district a place where all students can thrive, she said.
She previously ran a small business, founded a fashion technology startup, worked at Google, and continues to work with local organizations such as the Palo Alto Chinese Parents Club, the South Palo Alto Food Closet, and the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto.