Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Newhall Elementary School District

Through her accounting firm Zinn and Associates, Wendy Zinn is dedicated to providing expert financial and accounting services to businesses, trusts, foundations and individuals internationally. As a Santa Clarita Valley resident and mother of three, she is equally committed to children and their education.

Wendy's desire to effect positive change within the educational system has led to her affiliations with countless academic and enrichment programs. As the Outreach Program Assistant through California State University, San Bernardino, Wendy coordinates conferences for teachers, administrators and students. She was recently named Editorial Assistant for the e-journal "Wisdom in Education," and is aiding in the development of summer enrichment programs for children in San Bernardino as well as locally. She is also a partner in Kymzinn, a children's book publishing company that has partnered with various museums in developing a reading program for elementary school children.

Wendy has been tireless in her local contributions to organizations in the Santa Clarita Valley. She has served as treasurer for both the Santa Clarita Valley PTA Council and Meadows Elementary School. Currently, she serves as a board member for the Santa Clarita Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, the American Association of University Women and SCVAGT, the Santa Clarita Valley Association for the Gifted and Talented. Through SCVAGT, Wendy has helped provide services to parents, children and educators that emphasizes learning and fun. SCVAGT has sponsored such events as the Children's Enrichment Expo, parent education nights, practice SAT exams and recently provided a certification program in the SC valley for teachers.

Wendy's latest enterprise is organizing a local chapter of "Roots and Shoots," a program developed by the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation. Roots and Shoots is designed to engage and inspire youth of all ages though service-learning projects, and is a global program based on the principle that knowledge leads to compassion, which inspires action.

As a business woman, Wendy has received training through the City of Los Angeles in mediating, and has provided her services as an arbitrator and mediator for the Better Business Bureau. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from USC, postgraduate courses at Golden Gate University, UCLA, Pepperdine University and Southwestern University and her current studies towards her Master's Degree in Education from California State University, San Bernardino, Wendy blends business acumen with a grassroots philosophy towards education that stresses the importance of recognizing and developing each child's potential.