Creating a More Resilient Anti-Racist Community

In 2021, members of the Joint Municipal Action Committee (JMAC) – elected officials representing eight Tacoma-area governments and agencies – agreed to align their work in key areas to create a more resilient, anti-racist community. They are focusing their work on initiatives within these 3 strategic themes: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI); public health and safety; and community wealth building. Elizabeth Bonbright, president of the Tacoma School Board and chair of JMAC will talk about the initiatives that are under way and how this consortium is working with the community to capitalize on collective strengths and opportunities. 

Elizabeth Bonbright is an industry leader in Early Childhood Education policy.  Prior to joining the Tacoma School Board in November 2019, she spent over 22 years as the Executive Director of Child Care Aware of Washington building a network of high-quality child care providers and creating a public system to evaluate and ensure quality services. 

In her roles as Vice President and President of the Tacoma School Board, Elizabeth has focused on strengthening school district policies that ensure equity and access for all students and that support staff to nurture innovation in learning environments.  On August 25, 2022, the Tacoma School Board will be passing one of the first Anti-Racism policies to be adopted by a school board in either Washington State or across the nation.

As Chair of the Joint Municipal Action Committee (JMAC) -- a coalition of elected officials representing Tacoma/Pierce County governmental entities -- Elizabeth is leading the JMAC visioning process to strengthen inter-governmental collaboration and to innovate together to address strategically the critical policy issues facing our community. COVID-19’s disruption in our “normal” operations has offered elected officials the rare opportunity to reimagine what an economically vibrant, healthy, educated, more equitable and anti-racist community might look like.  This collaborative project strives to build a culture of racial justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) creating environments that truly welcome and nurture all people – regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identification, socio-economic status, homelessness, and inclusive of other community members experiencing systemic oppression.

Elizabeth earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Trinity College (Hartford, CT) and completed the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute program.