From Voice to Vote: Affordability at the Ballot Box
2026 Women's Equality Day
Through a thought-provoking panel conversation, each leader will share a specific program or initiative addressing affordability in San Mateo County - and what it takes to turn community priorities into meaningful action.
Erin Baldassari, Moderator
Senior Editor
KQED
Erin Baldassari is a senior editor at KQED overseeing the station’s coverage of housing, early childhood education and care, and transportation, as well as managing statewide enterprise and investigative reporters. She was a founding member of the station’s housing team and co-hosted KQED’s podcast, SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America. Prior to coming to KQED, she spent a decade working in print for a variety of daily and weekly newspapers. Erin was born and raised in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and spent her adolescence in Sonoma County.
Karen Pace
Founding Executive Director
Ravenswood Early Learning
Karen Pace is the Founding Executive Director of Ravenswood Early Learning and a Board member at All Five. Before leading Ravenswood Early Learning, she supported education organizations through strategic project management, leadership development, quality improvement, and communications work.
Karen's work has been centered largely in the Ravenswood community of East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park, California. Her efforts helped All Five, a socioeconomically diverse early childhood education (ECE) organization, grow from serving 24 preschool children to more than 80 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, from one classroom to six, and from four ECE educators to more than twenty serving children and families, the majority of whom live in the Ravenswood community and face some of the area's most challenging circumstances.
Karen holds a master's degree in education policy and social analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her mission is to uplift highly effective organizations as a proof-of-concept for policymakers and education leaders, in support of greater educational equity for all.
Kalimah Salahuddin
Founding Member
REACH Coalition
Kalimah Salahuddin is a dedicated community leader, advocate, and mother. She has served as a school board member for the Jefferson Union High School District for 12 years and as Past President of the San Mateo County School Boards Association. Kalimah is actively involved in policy and community initiatives, serving on the Shared Prosperity Council and as Chair of the San Mateo County Sheriff Independent Civilian Advisory Commission. She is a founding member of the REACH Coalition, a 501(c)(4), an advocacy group dedicated to promoting equity and improving community health, and Rooted Together, which is a 501(c)(3) with the same mission. She also serves on the boards of the ACLU Northern California Chapter and LifeMoves. Professionally, Kalimah is the Employee Experience Programs Manager at Exelixis, where she works to foster an inclusive and engaging workplace culture.
Laura Bent
Chief Executive Officer
Samaritan House
Laura Bent has served as the chief executive officer for Samaritan House since 2023 and previously served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer for nearly a decade. Laura’s nonprofit career spans more than 35 years, and in addition to her nonprofit professional experience, she has volunteered for a variety of organizations during that timeframe.
She currently serves on the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation supporting education. She is the past chair and vice chair of the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as the past president of its Leadership program. She served as vice chair and co-chair of the Music boosters' program at San Mateo High school and now serves on the audit committee for the Hillsdale High School Foundation. She is a 25-year Rotarian with the San Mateo Rotary Club and is a former board member of THRIVE (the nonprofit Alliance of San Mateo County). She also volunteers her time to support various community events at the county and local city levels. Laura resides in San Mateo with her husband and two sons and lives by the philosophy that each person should “be the change they wish to see in this world.”