Indian-American woman research scientist, Darshana Patel, has announced her bid to run for the California State Assembly District 76 in 2024.
Patel, 48, is seeking the North County seat that will be vacated after 2024 by Brian Maienschein, who is termed out.
"As the daughter of immigrants who struggled to realise the American Dream, I know the challenges that families can face during hard times," Patel, a community leader and a Democrat, was quoted as saying by the Times of San Diego.
"I am running for State Assembly because I want to make sure that every person has the opportunity to succeed and thrive, and because I can use my experience as a scientist, elected school board member, and civic leader to make a difference in their lives," Patel, who moved to California when she was a teen, added.
Patel was elected to the Poway Unified board when the district was struggling because of financial mismanagement and criminal embezzlement and helped to restore fiscal responsibility. She was reelected in 2020.
In addition to her work on the school board, Patel serves on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs and as president of the San Diego County School Boards Association.
She has previously held executive positions on the Rancho Penasquitos Planning Board, Rancho Penasquitos Town Council, Park Village Elementary School PTA and Education Foundation Board.
Patel, her husband, and their three daughters live in San Diego.
She has done a BA in Biochemistry at Occidental College and a PhD in Biophysics from the University of California, Irvine.