Meet the Members

Dr. Manuel Alejandro Pérez is President of College of San Mateo. He is a first-generation scholar practitioner with nearly 20 years of professional experience in higher education across the California State University (CSU), University of California (UC), California Community College, and private university systems. His early beginnings in school as a community college student in Sacramento have greatly shaped his leadership and passion for strategic planning and action that is equity-informed and rooted in liberation for our communities. From 2019-2024, Dr. Pérez has served as the Vice President of Student Services at Cañada College, where he was proud to lead the College in building new and strengthening existing support for students.

Dr. Pérez received his Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Ethnic Studies from Santa Clara University, and his Master’s degree in Communication Studies from San Diego State University. He completed his doctorate in education from the University of San Francisco where he also teaches courses as part-time faculty.

Before arriving to SMCCCD, Dr. Pérez served as the Interim Assistant Vice President for Equity & Community Inclusion for San Francisco State University. In this role, he led and supported campus climate and diversity initiatives to inform equity interventions and programming at the University. Prior to SF State, Dr. Pérez served as the Dean of Student Development and Dean of Equity Programs & Pathways for American River College (ARC). Over the course of his eight years at ARC, he was responsible for equity and student success initiatives for underserved communities, student leadership and engagement programs, six Federal TRIO grants with comprehensive counseling and embedded learning communities, and the development of guided pathways for feeder middle and high schools to the college.

In his previous role as Vice President of Student Services at Cañada College, Dr. Pérez actively led and participated in justice-centered projects and initiatives that remove barriers for students. He served as the lead administrator in building and launching the College’s Equity & Antiracism Planning Council and is proud to have been part of the leadership team responsible for the College’s first mural, first Cultural Center, and inaugural Director of Equity position. He has actively contributed to building new and stronger structures for student success such as professional development in antiracist pedagogical practice for faculty, support for new and continuing Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI) and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institute (AANAPISI) grant initiatives, and the adoption of a Transformational Antiracism Leadership Framework for service area outcomes in Student Services.

Dr. Pérez has led and supported critical College-wide initiatives such as the Guided Pathways college redesign, enhanced support for Dual Enrollment and the Promise Scholars Program, and an increase in partnerships with critical community partners. Beyond the College, he is also a co-chair for the District’s Undocumented Student Coalition which leverages resources and advocacy for our undocumented community. Dr. Pérez currently serves as the President for the Chief Student Services Officer Association, as a Board member for San Francisco Pride, and as a member of the Upward Scholars Advisory Committee. He is also a proud graduate of the 2021-2022 Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU) La Academia de Liderazgo and the 2023 first cohort of the Wheelhouse Advancing Leaders Institute. Both associations provide learning and development for the next generation of college and university presidents. Dr. Pérez is enthusiastic about making change that is informed by community. This is his passion. He credits this dynamic on his upbringing as a first-generation son from a migrant, immigrant, and Spanish-speaking household. These experiences inform his commitment to always lead with corazón and conviction in pursuit of justice and liberated communities.

Chief Ed Barberini brings 25 years of law enforcement experience, including having spent the last 5 years as chief of the San Bruno Police Department and 2 years as chief of police for the Millbrae Police Bureau. He spent over two decades with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office garnering experience in a variety of disciplines including administration, transportation, corrections, field operations, court security and working on the bomb squad. He also served as director of the county’s Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security.

“San Mateo is fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated group of people working to enhance the quality of life for those who live, work and visit the city. I am extremely excited to join this team and help carry on the excellent work being done not only within the police department, but throughout the city. I could not be more grateful for the tremendous opportunity to work with the entire community to ensure the City of San Mateo continues to be the very special place it is.” – Chief Ed Barberini

A lifelong resident of San Mateo County, Chief Barberini lives in neighboring Belmont with his wife Jackie. He earned a Master of Public Administration from California State University, East Bay; a Master of Arts in Homeland Security Studies from the Naval Post Graduate School, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Francisco State University. Chief Barberini completed the California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Command College, Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government program, and the Local Governance Institute at Stanford University. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, and was last year’s president of the San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sheriff Association.

Karen oversees economic development and community vitality for the City of Half Moon Bay. She is the project manager of the Coastside Recovery Initiative – an economic recovery plan that has recently procured $6M in local, state, and philanthropic funding for implementation projects. She shepherded the Carter Park Improvement Project through conceptual and final design, community engagement, and environmental review resulting in a $4.75M earmark from California Assemblymember, Marc Berman.

Prior to civic service, she spent 15 years in the nonprofit sector in a variety of leadership positions at Asian American Recovery Services and HealthRIGHT 360. She implemented an agency wide risk management program covering 900 employees throughout California and served as a senior advisor in merger discussions and implementation. She was voted “Best Communicator” by colleagues for five consecutive years and was sought out as a thought partner throughout difficult personnel situations, retreat planning, contract negotiations, meeting facilitation, strategic planning, and employee engagement.

Career highlights include advocating for culturally competent safety net services, working toward de-stigmatizing substance abuse and mental health treatment in Asian/Pacific Islander communities, nurturing new and mid-level managers, managing the Coastside Recovery Initiative, and assisting with the creation of the Coastside Victims Fund in response to the mass shooting that took place on January 23, 2023 in Half Moon Bay.

She is a certified executive coach and holds a graduate degree in ethnic studies and a bachelor’s degree in human communication. Karen is the first in her family to graduate from higher education. She is passionate about serving her local community and can be found on the Coastal Trail with her husband and two sons and being a sounding board for family and friends.

Dr. Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, LCSW, is an educator, advocate, and visionary leader fueled by love and courage. As the Founder and Executive Director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS) in Half Moon Bay, she has transformed the farmworker community, infusing it with cultural pride and unyielding hope. Under her leadership, the Coast’s first affordable housing for farmworker elders became a reality, and mental health care for immigrants was reimagined with arts, culture, and community at the center. A beloved mentor and award-winning author of a children’s book on family separation, Belinda championed farmworkers’ needs during the pandemic and led her community’s healing after a mass shooting. From the southern border to the White House, her advocacy has touched countless lives and inspires change rooted in our collective humanity.
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A passionate educator, Dr. Hernandez-Arriaga teaches at the University of San Francisco, inspiring the next generation of counselors and activists. At ALAS, She has built groundbreaking partnerships with USF and Stanford to lead pioneering research on the power of culturally responsive mental health care. She has helped to publish works like There Is a Monster in My House, Cultura Cura, and Olvidados Entre la Cosecha, which illuminate the emotional experiences of undocumented and mixed-status youth. Belinda has presented ALAS’s findings at major conferences such as the American Psychological Association and the Pediatric Academic Societies, resulting in groundbreaking tools including the first-ever Spanish-language instrument to measure immigration trauma. Dr. Belinda's work has positioned ALAS as a national model for community-driven, mental health programs that champion the belief that La Cultura Cura, that culture cures.
 
Belinda also co-founded the Latino Advisory Council in Half Moon Bay, helped launch the Latino Trauma Institute, and actively collaborates with Bay Area Border Relief. A former San Mateo County District 3 Arts Commissioner and inductee of the San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame, Belinda is an active civic leader. She is also a proud mother of three and holds a Doctor of Education from the University of San Francisco.

James Lees is a Senior Vice President with KidderMathews and has over 35 years commercial realestate experience. His expertise and extensive marketknowledge has led to more than 14.9 million sq ft inoffice sale and lease transactions valued at over $5.4billion.

His skills in investigation and analysis support clientsin making insightful business decisions. James’ vision,creativity, relationship building, market knowledgeand implementation of successful leasing and salesstrategies employ multiple resources across a broadnetwork. Additionally, he offers strong underwritingcapabilities, including forecasting and trending foracquisitions, dispositions and debt restructure.

Prior to joining Kidder Mathews, James was a seniorvice president with CBRE where he was awarded theirmost prestigious national honor, the McCarthy Award,and is a two-time member of the Colbert ColdwellCircle. He was named as 1 of the 5 Most Influentialin San Francisco Peninsula Real Estate by the SanFrancisco Business Times.

Education

Bachelor of Arts University of California, Los Angeles

Professional Achievements

Serves as an advisor for the College of SanMateo linking business and education to meetcompanies growth requirements 

2015-2017 - Board of Directors, The Edge of SanMateo

Served as an Advisor to the Jean WeingartenPeninsula Oral School, which was named after hisMother

Nancy Magee is the San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools. Elected in 2018, Superintendent Magee brings more than 20 years of classroom experience and 11 years of district and county office of education leadership experience to the role. Most recently, she served as the Associate Superintendent of Student Services at the San Mateo County Office of Education where she oversaw special education programs, Court and Community Schools, Career and Technical Education, and Safe and Supportive Schools. Superintendent Magee also served for four years as the County Office of Education’s Administrator of Board Support and Community Relations. In that role, she directly supported the San Mateo County Board of Education, served as Secretary to the County Committee on School District Organization, and acted as the County Office’s Public Information Officer and Community Liaison.

Superintendent Magee serves on the First 5 San Mateo County Commission, the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust of San Mateo County Board, the Home for All – San Mateo County steering committee, and The Big Lift leadership team, and is Co-Chair of the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council.

Superintendent Magee began her career as a high school English and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) teacher in San Diego County. She served as a high school librarian and school district administrator for student services before being tapped to oversee a federal Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) grant serving six school districts. Superintendent Magee’s experience in that role helped prepare her to create and lead the San Mateo County Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities. Under her leadership, the Coalition developed and implemented a set of emergency response protocols, a suicide prevention toolkit, and a student threat assessment protocol that are now the standard in San Mateo County.

Superintendent Magee holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University and a Bachelor’s degree in English from San Diego State University.

Dr. Esmeralda Ortiz is a first-generation college student who started working in youth development after seeing a need to improve representation of underserved communities in higher education. Over the past 12 years, she has led college access efforts for high school aged-youth and established high school partnerships at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula (BGCP). More recently, she and her team have established postsecondary and career pathways programs that support students complete their postsecondary training and degrees. She believes higher education is the solution to break generational poverty and transform underserved communities. She is currently the Senior Vice President of High School & Postsecondary Success Programs at BGCP and holds a B.A. in Sociology from UC Berkeley, a Master’s in Public Administration from USC, and a doctorate from the School of Education from UC Davis. Esmeralda lives with her husband in Mountain View where she serves as a trustee for the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School Board.

Wade Painter is President and CEO of San Mateo Credit Union (SMCU). SMCU is $1.7 billion in assets and serves 90,000 members in the communities of San Mateo County, City of Palo Alto, and parts of San Francisco. Wade is also President of SMCU Community Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit corporation that provides grants to small businesses, non-profits, and families throughout San Mateo County. Wade has been in his current role since 2015.

Prior to coming to SMCU, Wade was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Redwood Credit Union in Santa Rosa. Wade was previously an audit partner and consulting managing director for RSM US, LLP.

Wade is degreed in Business Economics, and he attended University of California Santa Barbara and University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Sandy Rodriguez is an Associate Vice President with Kidder Mathews and has over 25 years commercial real estate experience in addition to a strong background in property management. This experience gives Sandy a unique perspective of both tenant and landlord requirements. Previous experience includes CBRE, Spieker Properties, Insignia Commercial Group and MetLife.

Sandy provides both landlord and tenant representation services. She serves as a primary point of contact on listings and has been involved in transactions exceeding $1.8 billion in value. Sandy’s responsibilities include oversight of the design, implementation and management of marketing campaigns for listed properties, as well as strategic property re-branding and re-positioning, lease negotiations, and assisting with underwriting assumptions.

Prior to entering the real estate industry, Sandy enjoyed a career spanning nearly 20 years as a professional ballerina. She applies the drive and discipline of that career to all that she does.

Professional Achievements

She serves on the President’s Advisory Council for the College of San Mateo, linking business and education to meet companies’ growth requirements

2015-2017 – Board of Directors, The Edge of San Mateo

Elizabeth Smith is the Director of Community Relations & Marketing at College of San Mateo. She is a veteran communications, integrated marketing, and public affairs professional with more than 25 years of experience across nonprofits, higher education, government, and the private sector.

Known for building high-performing teams and systems and a commitment to equity and inclusion, Elizabeth brings a strategic approach that emphasizes authentic communication, data-driven strategy, and inclusive stakeholder engagement.

As Deputy Commissioner of Public Affairs at the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, Elizabeth's work focused on consumer education and financial inclusion. She led statewide communications and marketing campaigns and created the California Coalition for Financial Empowerment, a partnership network designed to reach underserved communities across the state.

Elizabeth has served as chief communications and marketing officer at two mission-driven higher education institutions, San Francisco State University and Saint Mary's College of California. She established inaugural marketing communications functions at both the Northwestern Alumni Association and the University of California, Davis.

Elizabeth's diverse background also includes public sector experience at the City of Santa Cruz, work at the tech nonprofit Code for America, where she led communications, and corporate communications at First Data Corporation, following her early career as a journalist with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Elizabeth holds a master's degree in Public Affairs from the Goldman School at the University of California, Berkeley, a master's in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Auburn University.

A faculty member at SF State since 2002, Sueyoshi previously served as director of Race and Resistance Studies (2006 – 2012) and associate dean of the College of Ethnic Studies (2012 – 2017). Sueyoshi has been the first in many roles in her time at SF State: first hire in Queer Studies in the College of Ethnic Studies, first female dean of the College of Ethnic Studies and now the first person of color to serve as provost.

Sueyoshi has also distinguished herself by being the first Japanese American to be Community Grand Marshal at San Francisco Pride, founding the APIQWTC scholarship, serving as founding curator of the first queer history museum in the U.S. and initiating the online undergraduate certificate in Ethnic Studies for incarcerated youth. 

She holds a Ph.D. in history from University of California, Los Angeles and a B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University. Amy’s research interests lie primarily at the intersection of Asian American and queer studies.  A noted scholar, Sueyoshi is the author of “Discriminating Sex: White Leisure and the Making of the American ‘Oriental’” and “Queer Compulsions: Race, Nation, and Sexuality in the Affairs of Yone Noguchi,” as well as numerous scholarly articles and essays.  She additionally wrote the section on API queer history for the National Parks Foundation’s LGBTQ theme study which won the Paul E. Buchanan Award for Excellence in Field Work, Interpretation, and Public Service. She is a founding co-curator of the GLBT History Museum, the first queer history museum in the United States, and the recipient of the Willie Walker Award for service to the GLBT Historical Society as well as the Phoenix Award for APIQWTC. 

Stacey Wagner joined Kaiser Permanente in April 2007. She is the director of Public Affairs for Kaiser Permanente in San Mateo County.

She oversees government and community relations, community health, which includes grants, issues and brand management, and internal and external communications.

Stacey serves on the following boards: College of San Mateo’s President’s Advocacy Council, Chamber San Mateo County, Redwood City Improvement Association (RCIA), Redwood City Together, and the City of Redwood City’s Pride & Beautification Committee. She also serves on various committees and task forces.

She has worked in the telecommunications and waste management industries in similar roles, and for two members of the California State Legislature.

Erica Wood has joined the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce as its president and CEO, effective December 19, 2022. She succeeds Cheryl Angeles. Wood brings to the position more than 25 years of experience in the social sector as well as active business and community involvement in San Mateo County.

Wood has held executive level positions in nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, including Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF), the nation’s largest community foundation. While there she was a driving force behind the organization’s growth and success during an unparalleled merger. Wood led major grantmaking programs and award-winning strategic initiatives focused on jobs and the economy, housing and transportation, education, and immigration.

Wood is currently the principal of her own consulting firm and has been working with the City of Half Moon Bay on a comprehensive regional economic development effort—the Coastside Recovery Initiative— that in a few short months has resulted in more than $5 million in public and private investments to support implementation projects.

Wood has also been working with the San Mateo Area Chamber in a consulting capacity to help set strategy for the organization and rebuild its signature leadership program with an alumni network that is 900 strong and growing.

Wood graduated with honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum and serves on the board of Raising a Reader, a national organization focused on early literacy. She is passionate about serving her local community of Half Moon Bay and enjoys hiking on nearby trails with her husband, daughter, and dog. The San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce Board Leadership is excited to welcome Erica.