Myel Thelen

Executive Director

For over two decades, Myel Thelen has dedicated her career to promoting equity and community well-being. She is a seasoned professional who most recently joined California Women Lead as the Executive Director. Prior to this, she was a Senior Program Officer at The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, where she successfully oversaw COVID-19 related grant portfolios and fostered crucial relationships with community partners and state agencies. As Director of Conferences at the California School Boards Association, she led the transformation of the annual conference from an in-person event to a dynamic virtual experience in 2020 for school board trustees across the state.

Myel began her professional career in the Bay Area, working as an Assistant Director implementing Friday Night Live, an alcohol and other drug prevention program, in San Francisco. Before returning to Sacramento where she grew up, she managed the Huckleberry Teen Health Program in Marin County.

Myel’s commitment to community initiatives extends into her volunteer time. She has served on the board of directors for Women’s Empowerment and the San Juan Education Foundation. As Chair of the San Juan Unified School District’s Curriculum, Standards, Instructional, and Student Services Committee, she has championed education. As a parent of two sons, she felt the call to run for San Juan Unified School Board Trustee in 2018 and channeled that experience into a book encouraging women to run for office “Step Up to Run”. Now, as Executive Director of California Women Lead, she’s poised to lead with purpose, weaving together her professional, volunteer, and campaign experiences.