Foothill-De Anza trustee lost battle with cancer Sunday

Andrea Leiderman of Mountain View died Sunday following a battle with cancer. A director of government and community relations for Kaiser Permanente, Leiderman served as a member of the Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees since 2002. She is remembered for her development of a board policy on neighborhood outreach and as an advocate for promoting workforce education, particularly among underrepresented students.

“Andrea brought her experience at the county board and her many related activities to bear on her thoughtful work on the Foothill-De Anza board. Even as she coped with a devastating illness, she remained as involved as possible in crucial board decisions, which was indicative of the level of commitment she had,” said board President Sandy Hay.

Leiderman’s community involvement included serving on the boards of the Mission City Community Fund, the San Jose Chamber of Commerce Local Issues Advocacy Committee and the College of San Mateo President’s Council on Advancement.

Prior to joining the board of Foothill-De Anza, Leiderman served on the Santa Clara County Board of Education and was its president in 1995 and 2000.

Chancellor Martha Kanter said, “With Andrea’s unwavering commitment to students and the community, she represented the very best in leadership of both the Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees and the Santa Clara County Board of Education, as well as in her volunteer service.”

Leiderman’s family has established the Andrea Naomi Leiderman Fellowship Fund for Stanford University undergraduates in order to support student services and research among underserved Bay Area youth.

Contributions may be directed to the Stanford University Development Office, Gifts Processing, 326 Galvez St. Stanford, CA 94305.

Plans for a memorial service will be announced.