Attorney and entrepreneur joins Palo Alto Board of Education race

Nicole Chiu-Wang, local tech entrepreneur and volunteer, announced her candidacy for the Palo Alto Unified School District’s Board of Education on Monday. 

Assemblymember Marc Berman, Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, current school board members and other local officials endorsed Chiu-Wang’s candidacy in a Monday press release. 

As executive director for local nonprofit DreamCatchers, which works to diminish opportunity gaps in Palo Alto, Chiu-Wang’s current role is to promote equity in the school system, the release said. 

“I believe in expanding the reach of our best programs while also working to tackle the tough, systemic problems that prevent many children in our community from reaching their full potential both in school and beyond,” Chiu-Wang wrote in a statement. 

Palo Alto school district’s student body is approximately 40% Asian, and Chiu-Wang hopes to be one of few Asian board members in city history. 

“I am proud to be an Asian-American woman running for a seat on a board that hasn’t had an Asian-American woman board member in over a decade,” she wrote. 

Chiu-Wang ran in the 2022 school board election, falling short at third place and conceding with just over 20% of the votes. But she vowed to “get back up,” and run again in this November election. 

With two children in Palo Alto public schools, Chiu-Wang is passionate about making the district a place where all students can thrive, she said.  

Previously, she operated a small business, founded a fashion technology startup, worked for Google and continues to work with local organizations like Palo Alto Chinese Parents Club, the South Palo Alto Food Closet and the Palo Alto League of Women Voters, among others.