Driven and Collaborative

She believes in the promise public schools make – to provide opportunities to kids – because she has seen the impact such an education had in her own life. Nubia attended public schools her whole life, culminating in a BA degree from UC Santa Barbara where she majored in Political Science and Film. 

Combining these two majors led to a successful ten-year career as a film publicist before transitioning to her current job as a parent organizer for Long Beach Forward, a Long Beach non-profit that focuses on creating healthy communities by building knowledge, leadership, and power. In this role, Nubia has built diverse, effective coalitions that have directly affected policy change at LBUSD. 

Labor Strong

Nubia also comes from a union family where she witnessed first-hand how the organizing power of labor provides equitable opportunities. Nubia’s mom was a Teamster and her dad a member of United Steelworkers and because of this they were able to have a quality of life bolstered by living wages, benefits, and a voice at work. 

Nubia’s parents also had language access through their union reps, an issue near and dear to Nubia’s heart as a first generation American who is proud of her first language, Spanish, as well as her ability to become bilingual through her public school education. As a child, Nubia became her Mexican parents’ interpreter everywhere they went. However, there was one place where her parents did not need interpretation–at work. 

Witnessing how labor provided parents with respect and dignity as well as education on their rights, this early childhood memory planted seeds for Nubia’s eventual leap into parent organizing.

LBUSD Strong 

Beginning in 2014, Nubia became a member and eventual officer of the Special Education Community Advisory Committee, organizing parents behind several initiatives to further educational equity across LBUSD. In 2019, she organized parents to help pass an LBUSD “All Means All” Resolution on Inclusive Education Practices, centering students with disabilities and adopting inclusive school practices for every student. 

Due to the pandemic, 2020 was a particularly busy year for Nubia. Working alongside grassroots community organizations, unions such as Teachers Association of Long Beach (TALB), and local chapter of the California School Employees Association (CSEA) along with teachers, parents, and students, she organized a series of community forums to address issues of equity in schools, including the district budget and the reopening of schools. As a testament to joint efforts of the community and Nubia’s leadership, over 500 participants attended the forum including LBUSD leadership.

Prioritizing safety and science for ALL, that same year Nubia helped parent leaders organize 300 fellow parents, teachers and community members under the movement, United LBUSD, to support teachers with the option to teach online from home or their classrooms. She followed up in 2021 by helping parents advocate for the passage of the Disability History Resolution which empowers all students with knowledge on influential leaders and moments in the Disability Rights Movement. That same year, Nubia participated alongside LBUSD teachers, staff, and parents in the writing of Excellence and Equity Board Policy, and served as an Area 1 representative for the Equity Leadership Team established under the successful passage of the policy.  

In addition to having served alongside parents in advocacy and education through involvement in Parent Teacher Associations across differenct schools, partnering with neighborhood associations to develp community programs that serve families, serving on school site council, Nubia also serves as a commissioner on the City of Long Beach's Citizens Advisory Commission on Disabilities.

Nubia’s life story has demonstrated her values, integrity, creative problem solving, and determination. She is both an independent thinker and collaborative leader able to center marginalized communities while holding the respect of administrators and board members.  

Dr. Sharifa Ife Batts was born in Long Beach, California where she still resides with her family and is an active community member. She has been married for 27 years and has two beautiful and intelligent daughters. She is a grandmother (AKA “Honey”) to two granddaughters and two grandsons. 

Sharifa is committed to the quality of education as exemplified by her involvement in the school district by serving as the PTSA President at Long Beach Poly High School, VP of Programs at Poly and Hughes Middle School, along with several other volunteer positions. She also served as the Secretary of the Advanced Placement Collaborative where she worked with Dr. Felton Williams to recruit and retain students of color in Advanced Placement and Honors courses in the district, and as a result, the volunteer group was able to increase the number of students over a 3-year period from 500 to over 3000, and the district received national recognition for this work.

My involvement has provided me with a unique perspective about the challenges and opportunities that are present in the Long Beach Unified School District. My initial involvement was tied to my two daughters who attended and graduated from the district, but in the upcoming year, one of my four grandchildren will start attending school in the district and each year thereafter for the next three. I am motivated and passionate at this point in my life to work on behalf of all students to receive a high-quality education that is inclusive of sports and the arts. A priority for me is the district’s newly adopted Equity policy program that aligns with much of my work as a volunteer and advocate and that work, in my opinion, has been instrumental in the district’s move towards an Equity policy, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Issues such as student and teacher safety, in-class learning, broadband access, teacher training and compensation, are key priorities that require immediate attention.

Sharifa completed her MBA at Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business & Management in August 2018, and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), degree at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, in July 2021. Her research focused on the significance of diversity on organizational boards of women and minorities and their unique human and social capital contributions that impacts the company’s overall success. Sharifa is an educator and research Postdoctoral Fellow at Pepperdine University with a research focus on diversity and equity and inclusion.

Sharifa is a published author in the Group & Organization Management journal and regular speaker at events that focus on diversity, inequality, systemic racism, and organizational leadership. Sharifa is currently a member of the National Maritime Safety Association (NMSA) Technical Committee and Intermodal Association North America (IANA). She currently serves as the President of Beta Pi Sigma Sorority, Tau Chapter and the organization’s national motto is “Youth Takes Priority.” Additionally, she is a member of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) Long Beach, a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic Club. Her Doctoral research at Pepperdine University focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on boards and highlighted the unique human and social capital contributions of diverse board members and how they positively influence both the board and organizational decisions. Sharifa has a strong comprehension of board governance after completing the Santa Clara Women’s Corporate Board Readiness Program, which covered board governance, roles, and responsibilities, finance through the board’s lens, and board ethics. She completed the 20/20 Women on Boards Certification which discussed board governance of all board types, and finished the African-American Board Leadership Institute (AABLI) certification that highlighted non-profit board leadership, governance, finance, and strategic planning.   

Sharifa currently serves as the Safety and Environment Director at Ports America, the largest stevedore company in the U.S. operating in 33 ports in over 70 locations. She is an expert in risk mitigation and resiliency planning and oversees the company’s Environment, Health, & Safety programs. With over 22 years work experience at Ports America, she is an inspirational leader who is respected as a credible voice in the organization on matters involving diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has extensive experience in project and people management, and cross-enterprise collaboration to drive efficiency and compliance with Ports America’s goals and objectives. During the COVID crisis, Sharifa created and implemented safety protocols that enabled Ports America to continue operations during and was the recipient of awards from various organizations for keeping workers safe.

Sharifa believes the most significant asset for an organization is its people. This conviction springs from her deep corporate experience driving Environment, Social, & Governance initiatives fostering a safe, diverse, equitable and inclusive environment. As an All-American Olympic class athlete, Sharifa brings a high level of commitment and discipline and dedication to team play.

I would say that my political philosophy is based on the concept of democracy and can be summarized by the words, fairness, and equity, reinforced by stability and mental fortitude. These qualities have served as guiding posts for much of my development and have been shaped by events that are described below.

My mother, Hattie Herring, has and continues to be a forceful advocate for racial and social justice, and her work has instilled in me a passion to follow in her footsteps. I have witnessed her efforts on behalf of me and my five brothers to ensure that we received an education that would prepare us for life’s challenges, including visiting our teachers to ensure that our courses were rigorous and challenging. She placed a great deal of emphasis on a structured and meaningful educational experience.

An additional component of that philosophy has been shaped and formed by the perennial struggle for racial equity for African Americans and other groups in America. People naturally want to be treated equally to their counterparts and feel an overall sense of fairness. The epistemic practice of hermeneutical injustice and marginalization negatively impacts specific individuals and groups in society. Hermeneutical injustice transpires when people are deficient in resources to comprehend significant issues, they are unable to articulate their concerns or experience, nor can they attack problems systematically that arise in their social settings.

Having witnessed first-hand the struggles for equal representation, fair housing, employment, and other social and economic factors have instilled in me a strong desire for equity and fairness. My mom spoke of the protests for human dignity embodied in the civil rights struggles of the 60s and the sacrifices of men, women, and children to advance equal rights. More recently, I witnessed the reactions by members of our society to the social injustice demonstrations that were, at times, harsh and brutal, including the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

We see manifestations of the past in the form of legislation by state and local officials to restrict access to voting to some members of our society and to censor information in our public schools that speak to the history of racial transgressions in our democracy.

I am the only girl in a family of 6 and my struggles for recognition and acceptance by my father served as a powerful and guiding force in my life. I would often hear negative comments from my father that I would never amount to anything and would become pregnant at an early age. Fortunately, my mother, who was and continues to be a strong-willed and principled woman, began to mold me into the person that I would eventually become.

My formative years were spent living in a neighborhood that was predominantly Caucasian and my schooling occurred within this environment. I wanted to attend a school in my former neighborhood, Poly High School, to be with friends and peers, but my mother felt that I would be able to benefit socially and academically by attending school with students who were upwardly mobile and college bound. African American students represented a small fraction of the student body at the school.

I decided to run for Associated Student Body President. My challenger had extensive experience in holding various offices and a network of friends and supporters. The inclusive strategy I employed involved soliciting the thoughts and ideas from my fellow students about what they perceived as important to their education and recruiting fellow students from nontraditional groups, such as women and other minority students, to become part of my team. I received some negative comments from my opponent that hurt deeply, but, with the advice I received from one of my teachers, I turned the negativity into a positive and allowed it to work for me.

After winning the ASB election, I invited my opponent to become part of my cabinet. I understood that in order for me to be successful in my new role, I would need his support and network. He was not prepared for my invitation due to his attacks on me but accepted my offer.  During my tenure as ASB president, we were the most diverse cabinet in the school’s history and we were able to accomplish several goals including enhancements to various sports and art programs.  

The experiences that I’ve described, along with my mother’s nurturing and my involvement in track and field as an All-American 400-meter hurdler who qualified for the Olympic Trials, have and continue to shape my political philosophy. Thus, I believe in democracy, and fairness and equity represent the cornerstone of my political philosophy, combined with mental toughness, dedication, and passion.