About the Workshop
Presenters: Adam Spickler (He/They), Tyller Williamson (He/him), and Lucia Umeki-Martinez (they/them, she/her, he/him)
Youth & Adult Led
Level: Intermediate
For: High School Students
Description:
- Introductions: We will ask attendees to tell us who they are and why they chose to attend our workshop and what they hope to learn. Then the three panelists will share (a) who we are, (b) how we got elected to the positions we hold, and (c) what it means for us to be out LGBTQ+ leaders.
- Use Padlet & the chat box to ask attendees “If you were an elected official and could write a new law or policy, what is the first thing you’d try to accomplish through policy change?”. Attendees will write their answers into a Padlet or the chat box.
- We will read Padlet responses and generate discussion by asking attendees which proposals they feel are possible to accomplish, and how an elected leader might accomplish those things.
- Final Q&A at the end.
About the Presenters
Adam Spickler (He/They)
Cabrillo College, Trustee
Bio: Adam Spickler was elected as a Cabrillo College Trustee in 2018, and sits on the college’s Legislative Advocacy and Name Exploration committees, centering student equity and success in his policy work. Adam is the first openly transgender man elected to public office in California. Professionally, Adam manages housing support, employment services and child welfare contracts as a Senior Analyst for the County of Santa Cruz Human Services Department. Prior to this he worked as senior district staff for two state lawmakers. Adam is also an elected member of Santa Cruz County’s Democratic Party and is on the governing board of Housing Santa Cruz County. He and his husband Scott live near the Harbor in Santa Cruz with their dogs, Penny and Juno.
Lucia Umeki-Martinez (they/them, she/her, he/him)
Watsonville High School Student, ASB Co-President
Bio: Lucia Umeki-Martinez is an intern of the Safe Schools Project and ASB Co-President of Watsonville High School, Lucia is passionate about serving their community, they also enjoy playing on their school’s volleyball team as well as a defense attorney on their Mock Trial Team. In their free time they like to make art.
Tyller Williamson (He/him)
City Councilmember, City of Monterey
Bio: Tyller Williamson was elected to the Monterey City Council in 2018. For the last ten years he has worked at the Naval Postgraduate School where he currently serves as a Human Resources Specialist. He earned his bachelor degree in Human Communication, Pre-Law from Cal State Monterey Bay and a Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School. Tyller has a proven track record of bringing people of diverse backgrounds together to accomplish common goals. As a Deputy Regional Field Director for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign out of the San Francisco headquarters, he managed 30 staff and over 500 volunteers in a successful endeavor. More recently, Tyller worked to bring that same sense of purpose as a co-founder and current Co-Chair of Monterey Peninsula Pride, working to bring resources to the LGBTQ+ community on the Monterey Peninsula. Their unifying and inclusive annual Pride Celebration & Parade enjoy support from diverse community organizations such as churches, synagogues, LGBTQA+ organizations, legal groups, healthcare groups, mental health organizations, and numerous public officials. These are powerful events with those in attendance united by their commitment of respect for all — and regional solidarity! Tyller envisions a future for Monterey as a leader in public engagement. He believes by better utilizing modern forms of communication, we can move Monterey forward by seeking robust community input to drive decision making in our local government. On important challenges like increasing access to affordable housing, improving transportation infrastructure, and providing a sustainable water supply, Monterey is not alone. Tyller continues to collaborate with regional partners to tackle these tough issues to improve the quality of life on the Central Coast.
Back to Fall 2021 Summit webpage / List of Workshops & Caucuses