Candidate for
Member, Board of Hospital Directors; City of Alameda Health Care District

Lena Tam is a reputed leader and advocate for good government. She chairs the Alameda County Council of the League of Women Voters and had served as a past president of the City of Alameda League of Women Voters and the East Bay Asian Voter Education Consortium. Under Lena's leadership in these organizations, voter turnout and participation within the Asian-American community have increased through public education campaigns and collaborations with community groups in providing bilingual assistance during elections.

She is a founding elected board member of the City of Alameda Health Care District Board of Directors. As part of the governance of Alameda Hospital, she leads public discourse on the delivery and access to healthcare, engaging in grassroots organizing to create partnerships and financial support for critical health care services. During Lena's tenure on the Health Care District Board, she has developed a culture of fiscal responsibility to ensure high quality health care at Alameda Hospital. This has fostered an environment where a team of health care professionals in the Emergency Room has worked to achieve an average waiting time to see the doctor of less than 30 minutes + among the shortest in the Bay Area. Lena has worked well with her colleagues on the Board to hold hospital management accountable and controlled spending while providing effective health care. She continues to be committed to making Alameda Hospital a health care provider of excellence by retaining and attracting good doctors, nurses and support staff.

Lena has also served on the Alameda County Planning Commissioner since 2000, utilizing her skills and experience in water and natural resources management in developing land use policies and programs for Alameda County. When Lena chaired the Commission, Alameda County certified its Housing Element in order to provide adequate workforce housing for its residents. She has facilitated numerous community meetings as a commissioner to resolve concerns over traffic, noise, neighborhood preservation and economic development in the unincorporated areas of Alameda County.

In addition, Lena contributes to the success of several grass-roots organizations. She serves on the board of the National Women's Political Caucus, Save the Bay, and the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. Lena's achievements have been widely recognized in the community. The Isle City Business & Professional Women's Association honored her with the 2000 Women of the Year award. Recently, Girls' Inc. honored Lena with the 2004 Citizen Advocacy Award.

Lena earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco. She is a licensed civil engineer and has over 20 years of experience managing projects and programs for municipalities and special districts. She is currently employed by the East Bay Municipal Utility District as the Manager of Water Resources Planning. She resides in Alameda, where her family has lived for over 30 years.