Board Members
Lisette Mendez Garcia - President
Re-elected November 2018
Term 2022-2026
Lisette Mendez has strong roots in El Monte, stemming from a family who have been lifetime residents for over 40 years. Ms. Mendez has been a dedicated advocate for our community's children for over a decade - both as a volunteer in EMCSD schools and as a classroom teacher. She continues to volunteer with community organizations in El Monte to support literacy, promote a college-going culture, and raise funds to support disadvantaged children and families. Ms. Mendez earned a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Pitzer College. She then went on to earn her Master's Degree in Educational Psychology from Azusa Pacific university and a Preliminary Administrative Credential from Cal Poly Pomona. Ms. Mendez is a School Psychologist for a public school district.
Her experience as a school psychologist brings a unique lens to the El Monte City School District Board, highlighting the importance of creating policies and practices to support families, staff, administrators, and the community to improve on the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of all students.
Elizabeth "Beth" Rivas - Vice President
[email protected]
[email protected]
Re-elected November 2022
Term 2022-2026
Term 2022-2026
Beth Rivas grew up in El Monte City School District schools and graduated from Arroyo High School. Her children attend EMCSD schools, and she serves on the EMCSD Board's Equity Committee and Rebranding Committee. She represents the El Monte City School District and surrounding districts as a Delegate to the California School Boards association Delegate Assembly. Beth earned degrees at Azusa Pacific university and the University of Southern California.
She is an educator and has taught mathematics at Azusa Pacific University for over 15 years.
Re-Elected November 2020
Term 2020-2024
Term 2020-2024
David Siegrist has served on the El Monte City School District Board since 2016. He has been a member of the El Monte community for over 46 years, with active roles as teacher, parent, and community leader. Mr. Siegrist earned a Bachelor's Degree in American, Latin American, and Asian History from California State University, Long Beach and a Master's Degree in K-12 Education from Pepperdine University. He also holds graduation and Valedictorian honors from the U.S. Defense Department's Language Institute (Thai and Laotian).
In addition to his educational experience, Mr. Siegrist is a Vietnam War Veteran, serving six years with the U.S. Navy, as well as co-serviced with the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. After his time with the military, Mr. Siegrist carved out a career as a Bilingual Elementary School Teacher, High School Spanish Teacher, and college professor throughout El Monte, Monrovia, and Riverside. In fact, Mr. Siegrist spent time as a Bilingual TOSA for El Monte City School District and a Bilingual Math/Science Consultant for the Mountain View Elementary School District. The universities where Mr. Siegrist instructed includes: University of Redlands, Universidad de las Americas, and USC. Throughout his career, Mr. Siegrist has held numerous public positions, including: El Monte Trustee at Rio Hondo College, State of California Senior Assemblyman in the 49th Assembly District, Commissioner in the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults, and Commissioner for the El Monte Sister Cities Program.
Mr. Siegrist is the proud father of three children, all of whom attended Durfee School and graduated from Arroyo High School. He raised them alongside his wife of over 46 years, Community College and UNAM Professor, Hermila Esthela Torres de Siegrist.
Jennifer Cobian - Board Member
[email protected]
[email protected]
Re-Elected November 2020
Term 2020-2024
Term 2020-2024
Jennifer Cobian has proudly served on the El Monte City School District board since 2015. She is a dedicated advocate for education and equity for all children and families. Ms. Cobian also serves as the Executive Director for the El Monte Promise Foundation which builds cradle to college pathways in the greater El Monte community. Ms. Cobian received her BA from University of California, Santa Cruz, her MA from the University of Chicago, and teaching credential from Cal State Los Angeles. She has worked as a Speechwriter for the Governor of California in Sacramento and as a teacher in the El Monte School District. Ms. Cobian is passionate about giving back to the community. She's a member of the El Monte Women's Club, a soccer coach for AYSO, and a founding troop leader for an El Monte Girl Scout Troop. She also volunteers with Boys Scouts of America and has served on various committees for the El Monte Union High School District.
Ms. Cobian currently lives in El Monte with her husband and children, all of which have attended schools in the El Monte City School District.
Christina Flores - Clerk
Elected November 2022
Term 2022-2026
Term 2022-2026
Christina Flores has been a member of the City for the past 12 years and has strong ties to the City of El Monte dating back to her grandparents. She is a product of the El Monte Union High School District - graduating from Rosemead High School and attended East Los Angeles Community College soon after. She is a California State University, Northridge graduate with a Bachelors in Accountancy and holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.
Her career has been driven by her commitment to being a part of the challenging and transformative work of uplifting and advocating for marginalized communities. Christina's professional experience includes working with categorical funding supporting students'; academic and social-emotional needs. She has worked with various government-funded programs that provided health and housing equity by collaborating with internal and external agencies with decision-making that will positively impact communities within the Los Angeles region.
She has volunteered to mentor a high school student, tutor students to prepare for graduation and college entrance exams, and host rising high school juniors as interns to gain hands-on experience within the finance department.