Full Biography for Suzanne E. "Sue" Jackson

Candidate for
City Councilmember; City of Monte Sereno

To contact me via e-mail Suepurr2@aol.com

I was born in Webster, Massachusetts in 1942. My father was in the military and we travelled to various places around the world until 1956 when we settled in San Jose California. I completed my grade school at San Carlos school in Monterey and started high school at Campbell Union High School. I finished high school at Bartlett High in Webster, Mass.

I went to nursing school at Henry Heywood Memborial Hospital in Gardner, Mass and took courses in Boston and in Taunton, Mass. After graduating, and working as a clinical inctructor in the Operating Room at Herny Heywood, I chose to return to the San Jose in 1964.

I worked in the Operating Rooms of Los Gatos Community Hospital, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and at Good Samaritan Hospital. I had the opportunity to continue my education through an off campus program from the University of Redlands- Johnston College, and graduated " With Distinction" in 1975. I continued taking courses in Psycholgy at San Jose State, and then have taken post graduate courses at Stanford Hospital in the areas of psychology, finance and management. I have completed adequate study to qualify for a Masters in Business Administration.

I have also applied for and recieved a certificate to award continuing education units/credits for nursing and medical related courses. This certification (hours) has been awarded to hundreds of nurses and physicians for health and medical related programs through the last 15 years.

After raising my family and working as a school, Girl Scout, and community fundraiser, I became involved with the county and then the state Medical Alliance (volunteer arm of the California Medical Association). I was elected both the county president(1985-86) and the state president (1994-95) and still serve on both boards. I have also been appointed to serve on the board of the CMA Alliance Community Health Foundation which awards specific California (county) health programs and projects that serve the needs of their respective communities.

I was appointed by Supervisor Mike Honda to the Santa Clara County Domestic Violence Council because of my work and the work of the medical alliance in the areas of domestic violence. Our focus was public information and awareness and education, both to the medical community and to young people. I have been on the council for 4 years. I am also a member of the SCC Violence Prevention Council on their public information and education committee.

In 1997 I was nominated for the National Belle Chenault Award for political activism, was a finalist and won the California award. That year, I was also awarded the Santa Clara County Medical Association's Citizen of the Year which recognizes activism and advocacy of a non-physician member of the community in the areas of community health.

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I ran for the Monte Sereno City Council because I was concerned that our city was losing its rural character by over building, and I was also concerned about the safety of the western hillsides of our city. Coming from a medical background, especially in the area of emergency medicine, I tend to anticipate and project possible scenarios in order to evaluate needs (needs assessment). I also believed that people should have a say in government especially if they feel that citizen equity seemed vague, and special, personal interests began to taint the judgement of the council.

I believe that some of these concerns have been addressed in the last four years of my tenure on the council, but continue to be relevant.