About
Heather Schmidt,
M.PA, CySA, CDA
Heather has over 20 years of experience working with the public in a variety of capacities, including as a community organizer, community educator, a policy advisor, and a political analyst. She couples this frontline experience with an education built upon strategies proven to solve community problems.
HIGHLIGHTS + VALUES
- Experienced Public Policy Advisor
- Master of Public Administration with additional certifications in cybersecurity analysis, data analytics, organizational leadership, and ADA compliance
- Has worked on numerous papers, research contracts, and other professional projects involving governance, municipal service delivery, fiscal management, climate and weather disruption, organizational leadership, and more
- Leadership built upon ethics and empathy
- Authenticity and transparency
- Strong work ethic
- Decision making that relies upon data, evidence, and lived experience
- Governance and policy making that stems from listening to the needs of constituents, not telling them they simply do not understand their own circumstances
- Belief in the power of community
COMMUNITY:
Heather was the Founder of the Keeping Village at the Park Safe Neighborhood Watch group, an Administrative Organizer and Educator at the Camarillo Art Center, and is currently the President of V.C. Voter Edge and the Founder of the Keeping East Village Safe Neighborhood Watch Group.
BASIC BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:
Heather was born in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, and moved to California after graduating from high school in June 2000. She has since been a resident of Ventura County, where her mother and father’s families had lived for decades. She has three children, aged 22, 18, and 9, and enjoys reading, cooking, and studio arts.
EDUCATION + PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Heather holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from California Lutheran University, and holds a Masters of Public Administration from Grand Canyon University. She has published and worked on numerous papers in public policy, ethical governance, and strategies to address homelessness, climate, public cybersecurity, community safety and policing, fiscal management, and regional economic growth, and currently works as a freelance Public Policy Advisor. She also has additional professional certifications in Cybersecurity Analyst, Data Analytics, organizational leadership, and ADA compliance. Finally, she has over a decade of working as a freelance technical writer, with clients focused primarily in Human Resources and Organizational Leadership and Management.
In addition to her education and current experience, she has worked in the past as a Community Organizer for the AFL-CIO, an Organizer for Ventura County Working People’s Alliance, and on numerous campaigns for public office in the roles of Chief Fundraiser, Field Director, Campaign Coordinator, and Policy Advisor.
Heather Christena Schmidt Consultations 