2006 Latino Heritage Local Heroes:
Marta Inés Bookbinder Community Learning Center
Marta Inés Bookbinder is the collaborative community projects coordinator at the Community Learning Center in South San Francisco which serves 1,500 children and adults annually. Bookbinder is also a long time community volunteer. As a key advocate in her community, she was selected by the City of South San Francisco's Economic and Community Development department to be an ambassador to the Hispanic merchants in the South San Francisco Downtown area.
Born in El Salvador, she immigrated to the United States when she was 18 years old. Her first challenge was to learn English. Two years later, she graduated with Honors from Skyline College. She went on to get a Bachelor's degree in International Relations, and a Master's in Counseling Psychology. A four-term President of the Board of Trustees of Jefferson School District in North San Mateo County, she served in elected office for 12 years. Holder of a California adult teacher credential, she has taught US citizenship and English in various school districts. She has organized community boards to empower individuals through participation in the decision-making process.
Bookbinder is a presenter at conferences on the topics of leadership, multicultural communication, and educational systems. For 15 years, she volunteered as a lecturer on abuse and assault prevention education for children, families and the schools, and she served as Latina mentor in San Mateo County for two years. Currently, she is a member of advisory boards for higher education in San Mateo County. An innovative thinker, Bookbinder advocates for education as the way to success, envisioning and developing programs to best serve the community. Her personal motto: "My job is to have fun with a purpose!" describes her present outlook on life.
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