Our Alumni

Notable Alums & Public Service

JSA builds leadership skills, fosters respect for different perspectives, and helps students find their voice. JSA alums now fill roles as entrepreneurs, activists, lawyers, elected officials, and more. 

JSA Alums in Office

Learn about some of the JSA alums who stepped up to run for elected office this year.

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Huntington Beach City School District Board

Jennifer Bunn Hayden

When the president of the school board decided to retire, I weighed whether to run. There were many reasons for me not to run for office, but ultimately, why not me? As the JSA slogan goes, Be the People.” I also hope to bring the skills I developed in JSA, especially the ability to engage in thoughtful debate with people with whom I disagree, to the school board.

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Berkeley City Council (candidate)

Igor Tregub

JSA provided the critical foundation to the public service in which I have been engaged since my college days. From learning how to argue and defend your points, to being reminded that others may have a different perspective — and that the best policy solutions stem from the ability to apply the best of all of those perspectives —JSA taught me the fundamentals of governance. Being part of JSA also made me for the first time consider a future in public service — the prospect of working with and for people, which I did as the founder and president of my high school’s JSA chapter and a regional senator — was infectious!

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San Francisco Board of Education

John Trasvina

Voting intelligently is essential. Our ancestors died for us to have the right to vote. It is the right that preserves all other rights. We have to have a voice in our local communities, states, and national government. Also important is our voice in government the other 364 days of the year. Writing letters to your representative and to your newspaper helps hold elected officials accountable. So does showing up at meetings and, for some, running for office. As a candidate for School Board this year, I now realize how difficult campaigns are despite being around elected officials for years. All levels of participation are critical to our nation’s future. JSA gives young people a great start and I am grateful for my JSA experiences.

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Compton Unified School District

Micah Ali

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OH House of Representatives (42nd District)

Niraj Antani

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Mayor of West Sacramento

Chris Cabaldon

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San Francisco School Board

Stevon Cook

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CA State Assembly

Matthew Harper

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CT State Senate

Alex Titinski

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Congress (39th District — CA)

Sam Jammal

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San Bernardino Board of Supervisors

Janice Rutherford

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Congress (6th District — WA)

Derek Kilmer

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Claremont City Council

Jed Leano

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CA State Assembly

Andy Katz

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Member, US House of Representatives, California 19th Congressional District

The Honorable Zoe Lofgren

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Member, US House of Representatives, California 41st Congressional District

The Honorable Mark Takano

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San Francisco Supervisor (D‑2)

Schuyler Hudak

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West Covina City Council

Mike Spence

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Menlo Park City Council

Jen Wolosin

Notable Alumni in Politics & Government

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The Honorable Ayanna Pressley

Member, US House of Representatives, Massachusetts 7th Congressional District

(Francis Parker High School, 1992)

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The Honorable Leon Panetta

Former US Secretary of Defense and White House Chief of Staff

(Monterey High School, 1966)

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The Honorable Eric Garcetti

Mayor of Los Angeles, California, US Ambassador to India-designate

(Harvard-Westlake School, 1988)

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Jennifer Palmieri

Former White House Director of Communications, current contributing Editor to Vanity Fair

(Aptos High School, 1984)

Notable Alumni in Law

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The Honorable Karen Clopton

Former Chief Administrative Law Judge, California Public Utilities Commission and current Commissioner, San Francisco Human Rights Commission

(Jack & Jill — San Francisco/​Alain Leroy Locke High School 1976)

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Darcy Olsen

Founder Gen​Jus​tice​.org, former Chief Executive Officer, The Goldwater Institute

(Pine View High School, 1989)

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The Honorable Beth Labson Freeman

United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California

(Ravenswood High School, 1972)

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Natasha Sarin

Associate Professor of Law at Yale Law School and Contributing Columnist at The Washington Post

(Harker High School, 2007)

Notable Alumni in Business

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Charles R. Schwab

Founder; Charles Schwab Corporation

(Santa Barbara High School, 1955)

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Anne Raby Gates

Former President at MGA Entertainment, and former Executive Vice President

CFO of The Walt Disney Company’s Consumer Products Division

(Cubberley High School, 1977)

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Timothy Ingrassia

Co-chairman of Global Mergers & Acquisitions, Goldman Sachs

(Washington-Lee High School, 1982)

Notable Alumni in Media

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Len Apcar

Former Editor, The New York Times; Founder of www​.detect​fak​e​news​.com

(San Carlos High School, 1972)

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Ethan Watters

Co-founder, San Francisco Writers Grotto, writer for The New York Times Magazine, Spin, Details, Mother Jones, Glamour, GQ, Esquire, and the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine

(Chico High School, 1982)

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Michael Edelstein

Former President, International Television Production, NBC Universal

(University [Los Angeles] High School, 1986)

Below is just a partial list of JSA Alums.

Mark Takano, Member, U.S. House of Representatives (D-CA)

Zoe Lofgren, Member, U.S. House of Representatives (D-CA)

Derek Kilmer, Member, U.S. House of Representatives (D-WA)

Edwin Meese III, Former U.S. Attorney General, Reagan Administration

Charles Schwab, Founder & Chairman, Charles Schwab Corporation

Andrei Cherny, Chair, Arizona Democratic Party

Bob Mathias, Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Olympic Gold Medalist

Carol Hallett, Counselor to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Former President and CEO of the Air Transport Association of America

Eric Garcetti, Mayor, Los Angeles, California

Lenny Mendonca, Senior Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company

Leon Panetta, Former Secretary of Defense, Obama Administration

Liz Lempert, Mayor, Princeton, New Jersey

Michael Edelstein, President, NBCUniversal International Studios

Mike McCurry, Former Press Secretary, Clinton Administration

Norm Mineta, Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce (Clinton Administration), Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation (Bush Administration)

Timothy Ingrassia, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions, Goldman Sachs

Tom Brady, Quarterback, New England Patriots