Keynote Welcome Remarks Speaker

SMUD Board President, Director Rosanna Herber, Ward 4

Rosanna Herber was first elected to the SMUD Board of Directors in 2018 and represents Ward 4, which includes Curtis Park, Land Park, Greenhaven, Pocket, Walnut Grove and parts of Elk Grove. She is the first openly LGBTQ person to serve on the SMUD Board.

Once elected to the SMUD Board, Rosanna was part of the Climate Change Ad Hoc Committee that wrote the Climate Emergency Declaration – eventually leading to the adoption of SMUD’s 2030 Zero Carbon Plan.

Rosanna has dedicated 20 years of her career working at SMUD in varying capacities. She served as the Director of Public Power Strategy for the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) where she published the “Handbook on Public Power Options” for cities and counties. She previously served as Chief of Staff to Sacramento Councilwoman Kimberly Mueller, where she developed the “Trees for Tomorrow” campaign that supported the early growth of the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

She values public service and community engagement – having served on the Greater Broadway Partnership Board and as President of the Sierra Curtis Park Neighborhood Association. She is a graduate of the American Leadership Forum, Leadership Sacramento, Leadership Folsom and the founding President of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Toastmaster’s Club. Other board service includes the Center for Spiritual Awareness in West Sacramento, StageSigns, Senior Players of American River College and Mercy Homeless Advisory Board.

Rosanna has spent decades building relationships with local businesses and community groups. She is currently the Development Chair for the Sacramento History Alliance and Museum. She served as a Steering Committee member for the Sacramento Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit (SMART) and on the Sacramento Transportation Authority, which decides how local and federal transit dollars are spent. She is a proud member of Soroptimist’s International of Metropolitan Sacramento (SIMS), whose Club funds local programs that uplift women, girls and the students at Ethel Phillips Elementary School.

Rosanna serves on the Sacramento LGBT Center’s “Welcome Home” Committee whose goal is to raise $5.5 million dollars to purchase the Center’s home. She is honored to have received a Pride Award from the California State Legislature, a Community Advocate Award from Equality California and the “Freedom from Want” Award from Sacramento Stonewall.

A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Rosanna graduated from Indiana University (Bloomington) with degrees in psychology, with honors, and Spanish. She also earned an MBA, with honors, from Saint Mary’s College (Moraga.) She moved to California in 1986, and her and her wife of over 30 years live in Curtis Park with their darling dogs, Kep and Chelsea.