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Naketa Ross
Naketa Ross was a member of the Phoenix Union High School District in Arizona, representing Ward 1. She assumed office in 2019. She left office on March 10, 2025.
Ross won re-election to the Phoenix Union High School District to represent Ward 1 in Arizona outright after the general election on November 8, 2022, was canceled.
Ross (Democratic Party) also ran for election to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent District 11. She lost in the Democratic primary on August 2, 2022.
Ross completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Naketa Ross was born in Chicago, Illinois.[1]Ross earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University. She is a specialist in the area of trauma-informed care.[2]Ross' career experience includes working as an executive director and founder for ResilientMe.[1]
Elections
2022
School board
See also: Phoenix Union High School District, Arizona, elections (2022)
General election
The general election was canceled. Naketa Ross (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
State House
See also: Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Oscar De Los Santos and incumbent Marcelino Quiñonez defeated Tatiana Peña in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Oscar De Los Santos (D)  | 41.1 | 30,524 |
| ✔ |  | Marcelino Quiñonez (D) | 40.4 | 30,009 |
 | Tatiana Peña (R) | 18.5 | 13,744 | |
| Total votes: 74,277 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Oscar De Los Santos | 26.8 | 7,723 |
| ✔ | | Marcelino Quiñonez | 22.2 | 6,403 |
 | Naketa Ross | 19.0 | 5,477 | |
 | Michael Butts | 12.5 | 3,584 | |
| Wesley Leasy | 10.9 | 3,140 | ||
| Shams Abdussamad | 8.5 | 2,453 | ||
| Total votes: 28,780 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Shawn Pearson (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 (2 seats)
Tatiana Peña advanced from the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 11 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tatiana Peña | 100.0 | 5,178 |
| Total votes: 5,178 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for Phoenix Union High School District, Ward 1
Naketa Ross defeated incumbent Randy D. Schiller in the general election for Phoenix Union High School District, Ward 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Naketa Ross (Nonpartisan) | 63.5 | 13,172 |
 | Randy D. Schiller (Nonpartisan) | 36.5 | 7,560 | |
| Total votes: 20,732 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ross received an endorsement from Arizona List.[3]
Campaign themes
2022
School board
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Naketa Ross did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
State House
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Naketa Ross completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ross' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Naketa spent her childhood being bounced between foster homes and experienced homelessness with her infant daughter at the age of 18. Despite her devastating past, she has shown remarkable resilience. While only 6% of youth in foster care get their four-year degree, Naketa beat the odds. Building this resilience in others and her community is what guides her. In 2013, she started a nonprofit organization (ResilientMe) to assist foster youth in a successful transition into adult life.
Naketa currently serves on the Phoenix Union High School Governing Board. She has been instrumental in overhauling the district’s student handbook, removing policies that furthered the school to prison pipeline, and replaced a punishment model with restorative practices.- Child & Family Well-Being: As a survivor of the foster care system, Naketa understands every family should have access to the resources they need. This means not just affordable child care and a living wage but actually changing the laws that negatively impact low-income families. This includes providing necessary support and skills to the more than 14,000 youth in foster care in Arizona, ensuring Arizona families have access to state and federal health care options, and ensuring families have access to the aid that will help them get back on their feet.
- Funding Public Education: Arizona is ranked 49th in education funding, but adequate funding is only part of the problem. As a Governing Board member for Phoenix Union, Naketa has consistently prioritized the educational, health, and safety needs of our students, teachers and families. As a state representative, she will be able to continue this work while fighting to increase state education funding to the national average.
- Criminal Justice Reform: Families are better together. That’s why Naketa knows criminal justice reform builds stronger and safer communities. She will fight to decriminalize substance abuse and other non-violent offenses so families have the opportunity to heal, grow stronger, and more resilient.
As a survivor of the foster care system, Naketa understands every family should have access to the resources they need. This means not just affordable child care and a living wage but actually changing the laws that negatively impact low-income families. This includes providing necessary support and skills to the more than 14,000 youth in foster care in Arizona, ensuring Arizona families have access to state and federal health care options, and ensuring families have access to the aid that will help them get back on their feet.
Funding Public Education
Arizona is ranked 49th in education funding, but adequate funding is only part of the problem. As a Governing Board member for Phoenix Union, Naketa has consistently prioritized the educational, health, and safety needs of our students, teachers, and families. As a state representative, she will be able to continue this work while fighting to increase state education funding to the national average.
Criminal Justice Reform
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.
2018
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
I believe that every child deserves a supportive, safe, equitable learning environment |
” |
| —Naketa Ross[2] | ||
See also
2022 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Arizona House of Representatives District 11 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 18, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on October 2, 2018
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia via email on June 23, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
