PASADENA —The Armenian National Committee of America – Pasadena Chapter has endorsed incumbent Jennifer Hall Lee in her bid for re-election for the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education seat in District 2, for the November 2024 General Election.
“Ms. Lee is aware of the issues that grip the school district and has an understanding of what it would take to correct and redress the issues of concern for all of the district’s children and their parents, including those of the Armenian American community. Boardmember Jennifer Hall Lee has a vision for dealing with and improving on those issues,” said ANCA – Pasadena Chapter Secretary, Maria Ekizian.
“I am honored to be endorsed by the ANCA – Pasadena Chapter and look forward to the continued success of all of our students and the Armenian Academy at Blair and Webster schools,” expressed board vice president, Jennifer Hall Lee.
A proud resident of Altadena, Trustee Jennifer Hall Lee brings a wealth of experience and an enviable track record from her extensive career in both the public and private sectors. Before entering the public sector, Trustee Jennifer Hall Lee worked in the entertainment industry in visual effects for thirty years. She was an editor and visual effects specialist for Technicolor, Warner Bros, and Lucasfilm. Her visual effects expertise has allowed her to contribute to numerous film projects. After entering the public sector in 2015, Jennifer Hall Lee was elected as a member of Altadena’s Town Council in 2015, where she served as Town Council Treasurer until 2020. In 2020, after running a successful campaign, Ms. Hall Lee was elected as District 2 representative in Pasadena Unified School District’s Board of Education, where she currently serves as the board’s Vice President. Her journey has been pivotal across career sectors where she now finds herself serving a more significant cause, the nation’s future, its children.
Trustee Hall Lee has tremendous experience relevant to the office she is seeking. Some of those are:
- Inspired creation of Superintendent’s Enrollment Committee, Captain 2023-present;
- Speaking publicly about the PUSD’s goals for inclusive practices for students with special needs and informing local and state elected officials about inclusive practices for special education students and the need to fully fund the IDEA Act;
- Worked with community members to craft and finalize Resolution 2703 – Support of Inclusion of Armenian Checkbox in the 2030 Census;
- A leader on the Design Team as a Captain who collaborated with the Steering Committee to develop the PUSD Five Year Plan, 2023;
- Chairs the PUSD Student Safety and School Climate Committee, 2022-present;
- Created town meetings to meet PUSD Principals. Participated in community events with Pasadena City Council to discuss PUSD;
- Assisted the administrative staff with information and talent for asset management for their campuses that no longer have students;
- Co-host of the Women’s History Month Assembly that she co-created with a principal. This assembly has expanded to high school, and in 2024, they will celebrate the 7th year of this important assembly, 2018-present;
- Completed a Master’s in governance training for the California School Boards Association.
Board of Education Vice President Lee’s vision for the office for which she is seeking re-election is focused on several pivotal criteria:
- Student Achievement: This is a trustee’s most important area of focus, where she will continue to support the superintendent on strategies to lift academic achievement for all students;
- Inclusive Practices: She will continue to speak publicly for inclusivity in k-12 grades for all students. “My presentation is a personal story that provides a historical antecedent for the need to fund IDEA (Ideas with Disabilities Education Act) fully.” https://www.coloradoboulevard.net/exposing-willowbrook-a-trustees-family-story/;
- Asset Management: Her vision is to secure at least one campus for a high-end lease;
- Enrollment: She will continue working with the district’s superintendent to help with declining enrollment, a nationwide challenge. This is why, she says, she spoke about the need for an enrollment committee in 2022 and was pleased with the committee’s collaboration with the PUSD Communications department. Continued outreach includes support for the Armenian Academies in Blair and Webster Elementary. “Continued relationship building with community members to assist these academies, which I have always found enriching. In addition, our dual language enrollment programs are numerous, and keeping them robust with ongoing outreach to keep enrollment stable is important to me. Focusing on Transitional Kindergarten is a strong pathway to maintain enrollment and is a goal of mine for the next term.”;
- Safety and School Climate: In her opinion, The Safety Committee needs to grow and encompass the needs of students in the 21st Century, which includes mental health and belonging.
Trustee Hall Lee has served as a volunteer in many capacities. As Co-creator of the Eliot Arts Magnet Academy’s Annual Fund with the school’s principal and served as its chair for two years before being elected. She was the Co-Creator of the Women’s History Month assembly in the PUSD with the principal before being elected. She still serves as its co-chairperson. From 2017 to the present, Trustee Hall Lee served on the League of Women Voters Pasadena Chapter Education Committee and was chairperson from 2021 to 2022. Trustee Hall Lee makes public speaking appearances to raise awareness of the need to fund IDEA fully for special needs students. She spoke at the California Board of Education state-wide conference with the then-PUSD interim superintendent on March 6th and 7th. She also spoke locally at organizations, including the Rotary Club of Altadena and the United Nations Association – Pasadena Chapter.
PUSD Board Vice President Jennifer Hall Lee has been affiliated with organizations such as the National Women’s Political Caucus – Pasadena, National Women’s Political Caucus – San Gabriel Valley and ACT – Pasadena.
Trustee Lee’s devotion to serving PUSD’s children, parents, and community comes as no surprise in her determination to serve the school district. After decades of working in the much-vaunted entertainment industry, she found her calling to serve a much greater good, the future generation. The ANCA—Pasadena Chapter proudly endorses Trustee Jennifer Hall Lee, for the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education District 2 seat in the upcoming General Election on November 5th, 2024, is a leader who will elevate the marginalized in Pasadena.
The Armenian National Committee of America – Pasadena Chapter is the oldest, largest, and most influential non-partisan Armenian American grassroots organization of its kind within the City of Pasadena. Founded in 1979, the Pasadena ANCA advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city’s thriving Armenian American community and promotes increased civic service and participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.
