Mari Barke is the director of CPC’s California Local Elected Officials (CLEO), a membership organization that supports, advises, and educates local elected and appointed officials who stand for financial sustainability, government transparency and personal liberty. Mari is an elected trustee to the Orange County Board of Education and served as board president from 2019-2020 and again from 2021-2022. She is a frequent public speaker on good governance and effective school board leadership. Mari produced two virtual trainings for local elected officials along with Lance Christensen, the CLEO Candidate Academy and CLEO Leadership Academy. Mari and Lance also regularly join forces to provide in-person trainings to potential candidates and local leaders throughout the state. Prior to joining CPC, Mari was a finance executive in commercial insurance before taking over as president of a mid-sized independent retail clothing company in Southern California. A committed political activist, she has worked on presidential campaigns, and was a California delegate to her party’s 2016 and 2020 national conventions.
Academic achievement is no longer a priority in many school districts around the country. Unfortunately, many school boards veer from their main mission of academic excellence and have become preoccupied with pursuing cultural issues such as gender, social justice and equity. In many districts, there is more focus on critical race theory than critical thinking. ...
By Mari Barke