ABOUT

Lainie Motamedi is a public school parent with a long track record of engaging in district issues at school sites and on district committees, and has broad-ranging professional experience in state government, clean energy, and the technology sector.  Her professional and community engagements emphasize convening people to develop shared solutions to challenging issues and improving overall organization performance.

Lainie currently serves on the San Francisco Unified Board of Education, and was appointed by Mayor London Breed in March of this year.

In her professional career, Lainie spearheaded climate change coordination efforts on behalf of the California Public Utilities Commission, which resulted in long-term systemic investments in clean energy. She has also worked as a consultant to state agencies nationwide on how to govern and develop clean energy programs, and in the technology sector implementing telecommunications advancements, for both large companies and start-ups.

In San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), Lainie has been an active parent at her children’s public schools volunteering in classrooms, leading fundraising efforts, and serving on Student Site Councils and PTAs. She recently completed a four-year term serving as the Co-Chair of the Public Education Enrichment Fund Committee (PEEF), where she advocated for accountability and transparency reform to ensure that San Francisco City funds are utilized for student benefit as mandated by the City Charter. In this role, she also reviewed SFUSD programming, advised the Board of Education, and provided recommendations to best serve our students.

Lainie is also active in the San Francisco community, including serving on both the Bicycle Coalition and Botanical Garden boards as they underwent organizational change and growth. She currently is the personnel manager and a park ranger with the National Park Service’s volunteer horse patrol program in the Marin Headlands. Earlier this year, Lainie was honored to receive the Presidential Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in recognition of her ongoing contributions.

Lainie grew up in Los Angeles, where her mom and stepfather were teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District – serving for a combined 56 years. Her father is an Iranian immigrant who benefited from California’s public education system on his path to becoming a college professor.

Lainie is a graduate of public schools, earning a Bachelors from UC Santa Cruz, holds a MBA from the University of Washington, and was a Coro Public Affairs Fellow, where she interned for, among others, the San Francisco Fire Fighters Union and Public Defender Jeff Adachi’s initial political campaign. 

Lainie has lived in San Francisco for over twenty years. She and her family live in the Inner Sunset.