ABOUT MARK PAREDES
As a teacher and a healthcare advocate with over twenty years of experience working in the non-profit field, Mark has a unique perspective and commitment to helping serve our youth and community. He started his professional career working with Cambodian immigrant youth in Los Angeles, creating tutoring programs to address their unique needs and challenges to help them succeed and flourish in school. He helped create partnerships between schools and healthcare providers to establish school-based health centers in Orange County. As the former program manager for Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County, he led an outreach team that educated and screened over 30,000 children annually throughout Orange County. Mark has worked tirelessly advocating for programs and services that serve the community by building relationships with non-profits, school districts, the small business community, and government agencies to advance healthcare access for all Californians. Currently, he works for a health plan that serves the Asian Pacific Islander Senior Community, opening up three community resource centers serving Los Angeles County and Orange County.
Mark is a former Career Technical Education Instructor, having taught for many years at the Lincoln Education Training Center, teaching adults and students General Office Skills and Career Placement. He was a substitute teacher with the Garden Grove Unified School District and worked mainly with the special education level classes. He believes in expanding Career and Technical Education opportunities for youth as they transition beyond high school.
He has proven himself a champion representing the community locally and statewide. As a former Planning Commissioner for Garden Grove, he promoted safer streets for bikers and pedestrians and pushed for responsible business and community growth. He serves on the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Citizen Advisory Committee, serving as a liaison between the public and OCTA, examining traffic solutions and providing input on various transportation studies. As a healthcare advocate, he has spoken on behalf of families and children fighting to protect healthcare funding and access to needed care and services.
Mark continues to be involved in his community by volunteering and serving on multiple boards and committees. He is very proud to serve as an Associate Board Member for the Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove, working with over 6,500 children daily and 17,000 families annually. He serves on the Heritage Museum of Orange County Board of Directors as their President helping bring needed resources to help the museum preserve the culture and natural history of Southern California and outreach to our schools and students in the community.
Mark immigrated to the United States from the Philippines with his family when he was six years old. He is a product of the K-12 public school system graduating from California High School in Whittier. He went on to the University of California, Irvine, and received his bachelor's in Political Science and Social Sciences. He went on to the University of California, Los Angeles, and received his Masters in Public Policy and is receiving his second Masters from the University of Arizona Global Campus in Instructional Design and Technology. He advanced his education and received a program certificate in management from Cornell University.