Amal Smith

Piedmont school board member Amal Smith filed candidate nomination papers for one of the open seats on the Board of Education in the November 2018 election. Amal was elected to the board in 2014 after serving as an active volunteer in the school community for almost 14 years, ranging from classroom volunteer to leadership roles on parent club boards and the Piedmont Educational Foundation.

Ms. Smith and her husband, Rick, moved their family to Piedmont in 1998. They have two sons: Connor who works in San Francisco after graduating from Vanderbilt University, and Luke, a senior at University of Texas in Austin. “The idea of community and community work is very important to me. I have a deep interest in building and supporting community, especially this one where we were able to establish roots and raise our sons. It has been a real privilege and honor to work with the smart and thoughtful people who support our community and its schools,” she explained.

“I have almost 20 years of volunteer service and with every year of service, I learn more and more about how things work in our district: the rules, the finances, the partnerships, the people, the context in which decisions are made,” she said. In addition to her current tenure on the school board, Ms. Smith has extensive volunteer experience. She was active in the Beach Elementary School community, serving as president, vice president, and treasurer, as well as a volunteer for the Parent Educator and Meet the Masters programs. She served for six years on the Piedmont Educational Foundation board, serving on the grants committee, as treasurer for three years, and president for two years. She was treasurer for two years on the PHS Parents Club, a member of the PHS Wellness Center Advisory Board, and a facilitator for the Piedmont Parent Network. She was a member of the District’s Budget Advisory Committee for 10 years, and a volunteer on school parcel tax and bond measure campaigns.

“My primary priorities are to continue to hold a strategic, long-term perspective to build and sustain an educational program—from the sciences to the liberal arts—that gives all our students a strong academic base, intellectual curiosity, and skills to meet career goals and life challenges; attracting, developing, and retaining excellent teachers and district leaders; and on-going strong fiscal stewardship, including thoughtful and judicious oversight and implementation of the H1 school facilities bond program.”

Ms. Smith is currently the Associate Dean for Finance at the UCSF School of Medicine. She has almost 30 years of experience in higher education consulting and administration, including budget and resource allocation; financial analysis, management, and reporting; strategic planning and change management; and compliance, controls, and accountability. She has a BA in Psychology from UCLA, and a MBA from USC.

“During her service on the school board, Amal has shown her commitment to our children’s education. She combines a drive for high achievement with concern for student well-being, and applies her financial expertise to manage the district’s budget constraints,” says former school board president Rick Raushenbush, a member of Ms. Smith’s campaign committee. Her campaign committee also includes Hilary Cooper, Charlotte Ero, Cathie Geddeis, Anne-Marie Lamarche, Conna McCarthy, June Monach, and Rick Smith. Doug Ireland, Valerie Matzger, and Sue Smegal are the campaign committee honorary co-chairs.

Editors’ Note:  The Piedmont Civic Association welcomes information and comments  on candidates for public office.  PCA does not support or oppose any candidates.