Diane Lamkin

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Diane Lamkin

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Nonpartisan

West Valley-Mission Community College District Board of Trustees Area 5

Tenure

2024 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Mary-Lynne Bernald

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Downey High School

Bachelor's

University of California, Irvine, 1972

Ph.D

University of California, Berkeley, 1982

Personal

Birthplace

California

Profession

Educator

Contact

Campaign website

Personal LinkedIn

Diane Lamkin is a member of the West Valley-Mission Community College District Board of Trustees in California, representing Trustees Area 5. She assumed office on December 13, 2024. Her current term ends on December 11, 2026.

Lamkin ran in a special election to the West Valley-Mission Community College District Board of Trustees to represent Trustees Area 5 in California. She won in the special general election on November 5, 2024.

Lamkin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Diane Lamkin was born in California. She earned a high school diploma from Downey High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Irvine in 1972, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1982. Her career experience includes working as an educator.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Santa Clara County, California (2024)

General election

Special general election for West Valley-Mission Community College District Board of Trustees Area 5

Diane Lamkin defeated incumbent Mary-Lynne Bernald in the special general election for West Valley-Mission Community College District Board of Trustees Area 5 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Diane Lamkin (Nonpartisan)	62.4	16,315
	Submit photo	Mary-Lynne Bernald (Nonpartisan)	37.6	9,817

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,132
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lamkin in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Diane Lamkin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lamkin's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a retired Mission College Anatomy and Physiology teacher, with over 30 years of experience in the classroom. Unlike the current board members, I know what it is like to be in charge of guiding our students in STEM classes, both lecture and laboratory. The students' challenges are well known to me. My educational background is: first in my Latino family to graduate from college; undergrad degree from UC Irvine in Biological Sciences; PhD from UC Berkeley in Physiology. I taught upper division courses at Palmer College of Chiropractic- West before moving to the community college system. At Mission College I served on the curriculum committee, on many hiring committees, and as Department Chair of Biological Sciences. My students were the best: many spoke English as their second (or third) language, many were supporting children and parents, and many worked part-time jobs. Some needed extra help with math and chemistry-- essential prep classes for STEM courses like A and P. When my frustration with some administrative decisions peaked, I joined others to encourage the faculty to join the California Federation of Teachers. I was this new union's first Executive Board treasurer. It will be great accomplishment to vote former teachers onto the college board. These are people with relevant experience.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need people with teaching experience making decisions about our colleges. They are the ones who understand best what will benefit our students.
• Community College students need strong guidance in their journey through the college system. We need to support guidance counselors by increasing their numbers, giving them the resources they need, and helping them access the students who need them.
• We need to improve communication, at several levels. Students don't always how to access the help they need. We need to make it easier to call, email, text counselors, teachers, staff, and obtain the help the students need. We need to improve communication between the faculty and the Board of Trustees, in order to understand the needs of the faculty in and out of the classroom. The staff of the colleges need to have a clear path of communication with the Board. The Board cannot be isolated from the people who make the college work. Housing, childcare, healthcare: all these need to be addressed by all.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

We need to promote diversity. This is how we show our students what they can accomplish-- by giving them role models.

We need to support union labor in all our building projects. My father was a sheet-metal worker/welder and a Teamster: unions are crucial in our community so our laborers can afford to live here.
We need to make sure that all our students feel welcomed, no matter what lifestyle choices they make..
Healthcare must be made affordable for all: students, faculty, and staff.
Education should be free or very low cost beyond the high school level.

More courses/programs in typical "blue collar" professions are needed: plumbing, electrical, construction, carpentry, etc.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Michelle Obama and Anthony Fauci. If I could be anything like either of these two, I would be blessed.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Willingness to seek out the opinions of the people they govern.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Make sure all involved parties are heard.

What is your favorite book? Why?

To Kill A Mockingbird, because of the great example of a wonderful parent.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Elizabeth Bennett from "Pride and Prejudice>"

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The theme song from the Smurfs: thanks, grandkids!!

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To make the best use of the available resources (tax dollars) to improve the classroom experience, while keeping the district fiscally healthy and sound.

Who are your constituents?

Students at the two campuses and the people who live in trustee Area 5 (part of Campbell, part of Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Saratoga).

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

Again, communication is the key: making sure the district's people know what resources are available to them.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

I think it is hard to measure good teaching, but I know, from experience, how important clear expectations are. Students need to know what to do and how to do it. Teachers must not pretend to know everything, which of course they can't. The best teachers admit that they don't know the answer, but they also will promise to try to find the answer. The best teachers make the students feel heard, and not afraid to ask questions. The best teachers take advantage of the varied knowledge and experience of their students to add to the topic at hand (I always had students who were vocational nurses and could contribute their hospital/ nursing home work experiences).

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

Not all students are destined for careers in or interested in pursing accounting, nursing, programming, or engineering degrees. We need technical training in electrical hardware, plumbing, transportation, hospitality management, etc. Pursuing closer relationships with the business community is important in getting our students the best training for jobs in these areas.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

We need better communication among all the players that make our colleges work. Bottom up communication, not just top down, is very important.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Santa Clara County Democratic Party, South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, BAYMEC, AFT 6554 West Valley-Mission Federation of Teachers, Yan Zhou (Mayor of Saratoga), Margaret Abe-Koga, Paul Fong, plus others.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

Students need to feel welcomed, safe, and heard. Classes need to be small enough so every student has frequent access to the teacher. In labs, there needs to be adequate supplies and equipment. Teachers should give students clear expectations, and check in frequently with their student's progress.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Make the financial reporting as accessible and understandable as possible. Those in charge should be available to answer questions and explain choices as clearly as necessary.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

West Valley-Mission Community College District Board of Trustees Area 5

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