Meet Dominique

An educator, advocate, and lifelong champion for children and families/caregivers.

About Dominique

I’m Dominique Donette: an educator, advocate, and lifelong champion for children and families/caregivers. I’m running to serve on the Sacramento County Board of Education, because I believe education is a pathway to freedom that every child deserves to achieve.

I was raised in Sacramento’s historic Oak Park neighborhood and know firsthand the brilliance and resilience of communities that too often face barriers to opportunity. My commitment to educational justice is deeply personal. I was born while my mother was in federal custody, and my childhood was marked by instability. I lived in many homes, including in foster care, and attended more than 20 schools before graduating. Along the way, I was tracked into lower learning groups and told I would not succeed. In reality, my learning needs, including dyscalculia, ADHD, and vision challenges, went unrecognized and unmet.

Despite the barriers I faced, books became my refuge. Public libraries opened new worlds and showed me what was possible. Those experiences, alongside what I witnessed in my family and community, shaped my lifelong commitment to creating pathways out of poverty and expanding opportunities for students who are too often overlooked.

I come from communities rooted in collective care. Neighbors shared food. Elders watched each other’s children. We understood that survival required solidarity and that leadership meant service. That belief guided me from church pews to college campuses and into organizing work across the Gulf South after Hurricane Katrina, where I advocated for housing, voting rights, and educational opportunity.

I believe schools are ecosystems and that students thrive:

  • When they are supported academically, socially, and emotionally;
  • When teachers have the tools and training they need; and
  • When families are treated as essential partners.

Every child regardless of identity, neighborhood, or circumstance, deserves access to a high-quality education. I’m running because our children deserve leadership that understands both struggle and possibility and is committed to building systems that reflect both. I’m running to serve Sacramento and I’d love your support to earn the opportunity to do so.

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Narrowing opportunity gaps requires both holistic and focused policy change. As a County Office of Education Trustee, I will assess the needs of students across Sacramento County, especially those who have been historically underinvested in, and ensure resources and supports are aligned to where they are needed most. I’m an educator and advocate who brings a community-centered lens and a commitment to measurable outcomes for students and families to every decision

Dominique Donette

My Approach: Equity with Outcomes

In my work, I believe equity must be more than intention. It must produce outcomes. I approach problem-solving with three guiding questions:

How can I meaningfully contribute to this space, situation, or community?
What is possible within the current system, and how do we push it to do better?
Whose voices are missing, and what evidence or models already exist that we can learn from?

After nearly two decades of experience across the education landscape, I understand both what happens inside classrooms and what happens outside them. I have worked at the local, state, and national levels, and I know how policy decisions shape real opportunities for students, families/caregivers, and educators.

In my work, I center community lived experience as the starting point and use data as the tool to diagnose challenges, target resources, and measure impact. I believe lasting change requires both vision and implementation, and I bring a results-driven mindset grounded in partnership, transparency, and urgency.

Why I’m Running

I’m running because Sacramento County can do more to ensure every child has access to a high-quality education, and because I believe the Sacramento County Office of Education can be a stronger, more transparent partner to families/caregivers, local school districts, educators, and community-based organizations. I’ve been fortunate in my own journey, but I also know that too much of my story depended on luck. Children should not have to rely on luck to succeed. Predictability, stability, and strong systems should be built into their lives through schools and public institutions.

While my campaign is centered around five anchor pillars, I am especially passionate about literacy and ensuring children learn to read early. I believe reading is one of the most powerful tools for lifelong success. If children cannot read, they are locked out of opportunity. Reading is the foundation for learning in every subject, for graduation, for college, for careers, and for full participation in civic life.

Overall, I’m running because of my lived experience in the education system and my professional experience advancing policy and ensuring it is implemented. I have what it takes to assess problems, identify what is working, and deliver solutions grounded in data, community input, and real accountability.

A Track Record of Getting Results

I bring nearly 20 years of experience in education, nonprofit leadership and policy advocacy. My work has focused on improving outcomes for students and addressing systemic inequities in education and related areas. I have worked across the education ecosystem, including in teaching, youth programs, advocacy, policy development, coalition-building, and community partnership.

My professional experience includes increasing representation of Black male educators and strengthening educator pipelines at Urban Ed Academy. I also served as a lobbyist and public affairs specialist at the California/Hawaii NAACP State Conference, where I helped advance statewide policy solutions. I led a citywide initiative on Black student achievement at San Francisco Unified School District. I have also taught internationally, student taught middle school, served as a literacy tutor and led parent and family engagement work at a charter management organization.

I am most proud of my work in post-Katrina New Orleans with Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools, where I helped elevate youth voice and community leadership during a period of city wide transition. That experience strengthened my belief that the people most impacted by policies must be included in decision making.

In my current role at EdVoice, I lead government affairs work across California. I help to build bipartisan relationships and shape statewide education policy proposals designed to strengthen schools and support students from historically underinvested in and low income communities. I have worked directly with legislative leaders, agency officials, and community organizations, and understand how to navigate complex systems to get results.

Rooted in Community

I remain deeply connected to the community that raised me. I have previously served on a school board and on boards supporting individuals reentering their communities after incarceration. I am a proud member of the Sacramento (CA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and I regularly volunteer with community initiatives aligned with my values.

I was a member of the First 5 Equity in Action Commission, where I gained hands-on experience in participatory grantmaking and community-driven decision-making. I’m also a CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate), I lead youth workshops for local organizations, and I actively advocate for my younger brother, who was oversentenced. These experiences reflect my deep understanding of how education, justice, and opportunity intersect in the lives of Sacramento families.

My leadership is grounded in relationship-building and accountability. I believe families and caregivers deserve transparency, responsiveness, and real partnership from public institutions. I also believe community engagement must lead to measurable outcomes, and that public systems must be evaluated by what they deliver, not what they intend. As a County Office of Education Trustee, I will prioritize listening to families, supporting educators, and ensuring Sacramento County resources are aligned with student success.

Education and Training

I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. I hold a Master’s degree in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership as a fellow in the Broad Residency in Urban Education. I also conducted research at Tennessee State University focused on strengthening Black teacher pipelines and ensuring students have access to educators who reflect their communities.

I am grateful for formal education, but I am equally shaped by the wisdom of my elders, my family, and the mentors who taught me what leadership looks like through action and service.

A Vision for Every Child

I believe every child deserves to be seen, supported, and challenged. I believe education should be a pathway to freedom, opportunity, and a full life.

I’m running to serve the community that raised me and to help ensure Sacramento County’s education system works for every student, not just the students who already have the most.

I’m a proud big sister and aunty to many nieces and nephews, and I live in Tahoe Park with my rescue pup, Stokely.