Candidate for
Board Member; San Francisco Unified School District

Winifred Dajani is a California credentialed teacher who has taught in public high school and community college in the Bay Area. As a former public school parent in San Francisco, Winifred was actively involved volunteering both inside and outside the classroom to help improve resources and enrich the learning experience of children.

Winifred has expertise in language acquisition and literacy and holds two Master's degrees related to this area. In addition, she has many years of experience as a business owner and knows how to set and meet financial goals in the real world.

The granddaughter of an Irish immigrant who parlayed a food cart into a well-known New England food enterprise, Winifred grew up in Boston. Winifred's mother, as well as her two sisters are educators also, and all three hold Master's degrees in education. She has a multiethnic and multicultural background, is fluent in three languages (English, French, and Spanish) and has a basic command of Arabic.

Educator

An educator with expertise in literacy and second language acquisition, Winifred has a Master's degree in French, as well as TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). She is a California credentialed teacher and has taught in public high school, as well as community college in the Bay Area. Winifred has conducted research and given presentations on different aspects of second language acquisition and has a continuing interest in this area. Her most recent presentation was at the CLTA in March.

Parent

A former public school parent, Winifred worked directly with teachers at Commodore Sloat Elementary School for many years to develop supplemental enrichment programs and organize groups of parent volunteers to assist in implementing them. Program themes were developmentally appropriate and included biology, cooking, art and design, and needlework. Outside the classroom, Winifred actively participated in fundraising efforts to help improve school resources and replace outdated school play structures

Businesswoman

For more than two decades, Winifred has been a successful businesswoman. She has created two businesses from the ground up. She takes pride in having been able to provide employment for scores of high school and college students over the years. In addition to her experience managing employees and creating a positive work environment, Winifred knows the challenges of developing and implementing a strategic business plan and budget in a major metropolitan area like San Francisco.

Education

Winifred received a Bachelor Degree in Fine Art from SUNY. After her son started high school, she pursued her second love, language, and obtained a Master's degree in French followed by a second Master's degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from San Francisco State University. In between, she obtained her teaching credential in French from the Teacher's College at San Francisco State as well. She is also a graduate of Stanford's BAFLP program and an ongoing participant in conferences and seminars related to education and language acquisition. She most recently attended Stanford's CSET (Center to Support Excellence in Teaching) conference in April on English Language Learners.

Family

A San Franciscan for more than two decades, Winifred lives in the St. Francis Wood neighborhood with her son, Alexander, and husband Jamal, an award-winning producer and journalist, as well as a San Francisco Human Rights' Commissioner. Alexander has recently graduated from UC Davis. Winifred is an avid runner, loves reading and cooking and has traveled extensively all over the world.