Sydney Kamlager announced that she is seeking a seat on the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Board of Trustees in the upcoming 2015 election.
Coming from a family of educators, Kamlager understood early the importance of having an education and the opportunities it provides. Her campaign will focus on restoring the promise of what community colleges have to offer students, communities and cities.
“Education should be a priority that we don’t compromise or short-change,” said Kamlager. “It’s as critical to a community as is safety, health and employment. LACCD is at the cusp of being a catalyst for Los Angeles, but our community colleges have been short-changed on the promise of offering an affordable two-year experience where students can get in and get out. This promise has been compromised. That’s not right and I want to change that.”
In addition to fighting for more resources for the district, Kamlager will focus on targeting groups that have a stake in the community college system. In doing so, she will help to build stronger relationships and create a workforce development pipeline that is competitive and successful. “Veterans, emancipated youth and those on the re-entry path need and deserve a community college system that can provide needed supportive services to help them be successful,” said Kamlager. “We are educating a different demographic and we need a system that is ready and able to deliver a quality education that leads to higher transfer rates and more jobs.”
Kamlager is currently district director for Senator Holly J. Mitchell (D-26). She is responsible for daily and strategic operations of the district office, including legislative and constituent initiative, communications and programming. She has worked with Sen. Mitchell since 2010, where she served as a key consultant on her campaign.
Kamlanger ran briefly for the 54th Assembly seat now occupied by Sebastian Ridely-Thomas but dropped out of the race early.
With over 20 years of professional experience in the community, Kamlager has worked on issues that resonate with the same population that uses the LACCD system. Prior to entering the public sector, Kamlager was director of external affairs for Crystal Stairs, a child care development agency, where she fought to increase funding for child care and Early Childhood Education programs. She has raised funds and elevated conversations in the halls of Sacramento on the value and importance of child care to the local economies and families. While working for the State Assembly, she has championed many issues and has stood side-by-side with advocates from all fields, fighting to ensure that community voices are heard, funding is secured and the state works for its constituents.
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Kamlager is a graduate of the University of Southern California and Carnegie Mellon University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Unusual Suspects and is a Commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission on Children and Families. She serves on the statewide African American Outreach Taskforce for Covered California and is on the steering committee for KOREH Los Angeles, a children’s literacy program at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
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