DID YOU KNOW? Assemblymember Holly J. Mitchell was elected in November 2010 and serves the 47th Assembly District, which includes the Los Angeles communities of Baldwin Hills, the Crenshaw District, Culver City, West Los Angeles, Westwood, Cheviot Hills, Leimert Park, Windsor Hills, Ladera Heights, Little Ethiopia and portions of Koreatown, the Fairfax district and South Los Angeles.

Holly Mitchell has dedicated her entire career to improving the lives of women, children and working class families in California.

The child of two public employees, Holly Mitchell’s commitment to community service and social justice began in elementary school as a student volunteer in a congressional campaign and eventually led to an extensive record of student activism and a Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs. Working with then-Senator Diane Watson and the Health and Human Services Committee, she fought to expand health care and other vital services for Californians. At the Western Center for Law and Poverty she helped develop, implement and increase enrollment in the groundbreaking Healthy Families program. And now, as president of Crystal Stairs, she guides one of the largest childcare and development non-profits in California, improving the lives of families through childcare services, research and advocacy.

After spending over a decade in Sacramento working on health policy issues for the State Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee, for CA LEADS (formerly known as CEWAER), and for the California Black Women’s Health Project, Holly left her role as a public interest advocate for low-income working families to return to Los Angeles and focus her attention on child care policy.

As a working mother of a fourth grader, Holly understands the needs of the working families. She heads one of the largest child development agencies in California, providing access to daily child care services for nearly 25,000 children. While leading a multi-million dollar social services organization that must meet payroll, compete for funding, contract with entrepreneurs and deliver services, Holly’s public policy expertise enabled the agency to enlarge its role in shaping California child care policy and providing top-notch services even in tough economic times.

Her success in public policy and role in training new leaders has resulted in recognition statewide from the National Women’s Political Caucus-Westside Chapter, Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute (LAAAWPPI), Black Women for Political Action (BWOPA), the California Black Women’s Health Project and, most recently, her recognition by L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas as his 2009 Woman of the Year.

Holly’s perspective and keen organizational skills are valued by both national and statewide entities. She has served as a guest lecturer at Rutgers University’s Center for the American Woman and Politics, and in various capacities with Women in Government in Washington DC, the National Conference of State Legislators, the Governor’s Office of Women’s Health Advisory Council, the University of California’s Breast Cancer Research Council, and the California State Commission on the Status of Women.

Holly is a member of the Board of Directors of the Liberty Hill Foundation, Verbum Dei High School in Watts, and the national advisory council of Breast Cancer Action. In 2005, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed her to serve on the Commission for Children, Youth and their Families.

Source: http://asmdc.org/members/a47 and http://www.hollyjmitchell.com

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