About Sophie

By Sophie Hahn

After attending Cragmont, "Columbus" (now Rosa Parks), King, "West Campus" and graduating from Berkeley High School, I continued on to UC Berkeley, receiving my BA in American History with Honors, High Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa. I went on to receive a JD from Stanford Law School and practiced law for several years, and later attended Rutgers University to study Industrial Relations and Human Resources.

In addition to working in Law, Governance and Policy, I founded, grew and sold a small manufacturing and wholesale business, and have engaged in community service my entire life.

My husband, Eric Bjerkholt, is CFO and Executive Vice President at a company developing therapies to treat cancer. We have three children, all happily attending Berkeley Public Schools.

My mother, a musician and the daughter of Ellis Island Immigrants, still lives in the home I grew up in on Santa Barbara Road and has been active in many local organizations, serving as President of the Berkeley Piano Club and UC Section Club, and on the Board of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. My father was a World War II refugee and a distinguished History Professor at UC Berkeley for 45 years.

I was raised to give back to the community that has provided so much for our family, and to champion equity, participation and opportunity for all.

My parents moved to Berkeley from a neighboring community when I was a young girl, specifically to access the Berkeley Unified School District. Children in my "experimental" 4th-6th grade program were steeped in Free Speech, Civil Rights and the Farmworkers' struggle. Thus began my active participation in civic life, in Berkeley and beyond.

My commitment to this community, and to our shared values, has been expressed through continuous leadership and service since that time.

Currently, I serve on Berkeley's Zoning Adjustments Board and am the former Chair of the City of Berkeley Commission on the Status of Women. A founder of the Berkeley Edible Gardens Initiative, I spearheaded the recent changes in Urban Agriculture legislation in Berkeley. This spring I concluded five years in leadership at Berkeley's King Middle School, including serving as President of the PTA and Chair of the School Governance Council. I serve on the Berkeley Public Library Foundation Board, am Chair of the North Berkeley Committee of the Branch Libraries Capital Campaign, serve on the Board of ArtUP! Berkeley and on the Council of the Friends of the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley.

This year, I was proud to be recognized by Girls, Inc. of Alameda County as a Strong Smart and Bold Woman of Distinction.

I am a former Board Member of Planned Parenthood Shasta Diablo, and am proud to be endorsed by the President & CEO of Planned Parenthood Shasta Pacific and five former Board Chairs. I was a member of the Board of Step One School and a founding Board Member of the M3 Education Foundation, an organization supporting young African American men in Berkeley's middle schools. I served on the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party Computer and Internet Caucus and have been a spokesperson for UC Advocates, reaching out to alumni in support of State funding for public higher education.