Dede Alpertrepresented the San Diego region in the California State Legislature from 1991-2004, serving three terms in the Assembly and two in the Senate. She chaired the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and the Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Education. The California Journal named her "Senator of the Year" in 2004 and the senator with the highest integrity in both 2000 and 2002. Prior to her election to the Legislature, she served on the Solana Beach School Board for seven years. Currently, she is special advisor to the law firm Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller & Naylor, LLP.

Midge Costanza's over 40 years in professional and public life have made her one of the most recognized and often controversial women in America. Her public service has been characterized by a strong social conscience and unwavering support of human rights and civil rights issues. President Jimmy Carter appointed her Assistant to the President, making her the first woman to hold this position. She has been involved in numerous political campaigns including co-managing Robert Kennedy's successful Senate campaign in upstate New York. Currently, she is the Public Information Officer for San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.

Crystal Crawford is currently serving her third term as the Mayor of Del Mar. She was first elected to the Del Mar City Council in 1998 after having served on the Del Mar Design Review Board from 1994-1998. During her 10 years in office, she has served on many local and regional boards and committees including SANDAG. In her professional life outside of politics, she is the general counsel to Molsoft LLC, a privately held biotech company in La Jolla.

Mary Salas was elected to represent the 79th California State Assembly District in November of 2006. The district includes the cities of Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, Coronado, and portions of San Diego. She serves as Chair of the Committee on Veterans Affairs and on the following standing committees: Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy; Water, Parks and Wildlife; and the Committee on Health. In 1996, she became the first Latina elected to the Chula Vista City Council.  

In 1992, Lynn Schenk was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from San Diego.  From 1978 to 1983, she served in the Cabinet of Governor Jerry Brown as California's Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing (the first woman to hold this cabinet post), and she was responsible for a $2 billion budget and 32,000 employees. She also served as Chief of Staff to California Governor Gray Davis from 1999 to 2003. Currently, she is an attorney and corporate advisor and serves on the board of directors of Biogen Idec and the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Abby Silverman Weiss, Programs Committee Chair
Committee Members:
Barbara Benedict, Sarah Boot, Karen Brailean, Francine Busby, Suzanne de la Vergne, Deborah Debow, Martha Dennis, Jennifer Dreyer, Lesa Heebner, Linda Hirshberg, Gayl Jaaskenlainen, Jessica Klarer, Barbara Lee, Amy Lepine, Kate Lyon, Pinita Maberry, Cynthia Morgan, Noelle Norton, Bonnie Burns Price, Gloria Sandvik, Marjorie Shaevitz, Carol Skiljan, Rosemary Straley, Stacy Taylor, Vicki Thompson, Ann Welton, Arielle Wilcox