White House Author

Sokhom Mao serves as a Juvenile Justice Commissioner for Alameda County and a Public Education Specialist for the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC) at the University of California, Berkeley. For the past 13 years, Commissioner Mao has led policy campaigns in higher education and foster care reform across California and the nation. As a result his efforts, California passed its first foster care landmark bill, Assembly Bill 12, giving foster youth opportunities and access to higher education, employment opportunities, and stable housing until age 21. Commissioner Mao was appointed to the National Council on Crime and Delinquency's Alameda County LGBTQ Task Force. While in college, Mao majored in Criminal Justice and was a founding member of the Guardian Scholars Program supporting current and former foster youth in higher education. Mao is a graduate of San Francisco State University.