I grew up in a large and lively Filipino family, where I learned to believe in what’s possible. My mother has been a nurse in Los Angeles county for 36 years, where her work ethic teaches me that every person has a story. My dad, a stay at home parent, taught me how to strategize, ask questions, and find creative solutions. In 2003, I moved across the country to attend the University of Minnesota, where I earned degrees in business and education. During my freshman year at the U, at the age of 17, I co-founded Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF), a youth leadership nonprofit with a mission of revealing leadership through service, relationships, and action. I worked at STLF for 11-years, creating jobs and recruiting national talent into the state, while stewarding 22,000 students through the program. In 2013, I was recognized as 40 Under 40 by the Twin Cities Business Journal, and Real Power 50 by Minnesota Business Magazine. In 2015, I was selected to be a Bush Foundation Fellow and began teaching social entrepreneurship at St. Mary’s University. Currently, I work within a newer division at Thrivent Financial leading around organizational design, culture, and talent.
I am a community-centered leader with 15 years of cross-sector experiences. I will work to bridge the gap between those who make decisions, and those who are impacted by decisions. I seek to serve those who are marginalized or structurally disenfranchised, and I want to take all of my talents, what I’ve learned and all the opportunities I have been afforded, to serve these communities.
I am running to increase visibility, transparency, and accountability; to create new pathways for community engagement; and to advance equity across the County. We deserve vibrant communities — we must ensure affordable housing and prevent homelessness, strengthen child welfare and protection services, increase community wealth and quality of life, and prioritize restorative criminal justice reform. The Hennepin County Commission, made up of 7 Commissioners, oversee a budget of $2,400,000,000. It is a powerful body of government that is nearly invisible to the public eye and that needs to change. Today, the Commission lacks diversity in age, ethnicity and therefore, perspective. That also needs to change. I hear this all the time, “our systems are broken.” I used to say things like that myself, but I disagree. Our systems are not broken, they do not work for all of us because they were never designed for all of us to begin with. When this is the reality, different leadership is required to fundamentally redesign and reimagine how our society functions. We have to do this with compassion, to work with people across the board, and that is asking a lot, but it is essential. I am best equipped to deliver that change and foster innovation at the county level.
It is officially two weeks until election day. I have won the DFL endorsement for this seat and am the first woman of color to do so. I won the primary, despite a very competitive race. When I win on November 6th, I will be the youngest woman and the first person of color to ever be elected to the Hennepin County Commission. There is work to be done. I am honored to have received all the support and encouragement and am humbly asking for your support on Election Day.
*District 2 includes Golden Valley, parts of Plymouth, Medicine Lake, North Minneapolis, Northeast, North Loop and parts St. Anthony Village.
You can learn more at https://www.voteirene.com/