Candidate for
Director; Ross Valley Sanitary District; District 1

Mary Sylla, JD, MPH, is a Program Director of the Public Health Foundation Enterprise and is a candidate for the Ross Valley Sanitary District. She is the founder of the Center for Health Justice, a prisoner health organization committed to empowering individuals affected by incarceration and HIV to make healthier choices, headquartered in Los Angeles. She has worked on public health issues for over 10 years in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, including designing and implementing novel programs to improve medical care, increase HIV adherence and provide prisoners access to condoms. Prior to founding Health Justice, she worked as a staff attorney at AIDS Project Los Angeles and the ACLU of Southern California. Don't hesitate to contact Mary directly with any comments or concerns about the District!

Mary, a Ross Valley native and current homeowner in Kentfield, was subjected to massive sewage back up into her home in 2005. During the intense rainy season that winter, Mary's home was badly damaged. She saw first-hand how the Ross Valley Sanitary District's operations and sewer lines affected her daily life. The District dramatically underreported the amount of sewage that spilled into Mary's home. It took weeks for the District to acknowledge that they were in error, and only did so after Mary called to their attention their inaccurate report. Mary's campaign is predicated on the need for better management of the District, increased financial stewardship, and improved public outreach to the District's ratepayers and business owners.

She received her undergraduate degree in Public Policy from Brown University (1989), her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law (1995, with honors) and a Master's Degree in Public Health (Epidemiology) from UC Berkeley (2004).