SHE SHARES EVENT PROGRAM

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Trailblazers in Sacramento: Women Legislators on the Frontlines of Change


Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Assembly Majority Leader

Marie Alvarado-Gil, California State Senator 


Moderated by Catharine Baker, Director of the UC Student and Policy Center and former California State Assemblymember

For the first time in California history, women make up the majority of the California State Senate — a milestone worth celebrating and exploring. Join Catharine Baker in a powerful conversation with Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, and Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil.


This dynamic panel will reflect on their personal journeys into public service, the challenges and triumphs they've faced as women in politics, and how this new majority is shaping the culture and priorities of the Capitol. They will discuss the importance of mentorship, collaboration across the aisle, and what it means to uplift the next generation of women leaders.


Event Schedule

  • 4:45 PM - 5:30 PM – Networking, Appetizers & Drinks
    The California Museum


  • 5:30 – 6:30 PM – Conversation
  • Welcome Remarks from Clarissa LaGuardia, Executive         Director, The California Center for Civic Participation


  • 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM – Networking, Appetizers & Drinks

Speaker Biographies


Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Assembly Majority Leader


In November 2016, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry was elected to the California Assembly to represent the 4th District, which includes all of Napa, Lake, Yolo, Colusa Counties and part of Sonoma County.


Cecilia grew up in western Yolo County and has long served her community. After going to school and working in the Bay Area for several years, she moved back to her hometown of Winters, where she almost immediately became active in the local community and a regional leader on several issues. She first served as planning commissioner and then was elected to the city council, eventually serving as the first female mayor of Winters.


While growing up, Cecilia was surrounded by agriculture. As a youth, she cut apricots in the packing shed and helped her father in the walnut orchards in the area. She is still involved in local agriculture to this day as she and her brothers own an 80-acre walnut orchard.

After earning a degree in business administration from San Jose State University, she launched a consulting firm that specialized in public outreach with government agencies.


As mayor of Winters, Cecilia oversaw improvements in the downtown area and worked to improve local schools, including securing computers for every sixth grader in the city. She also brought broadband internet to rural communities, built senior housing, and helped the area to become an agricultural and food innovation hub for the region.


With the understanding that employment is central to any successful community, Cecilia helped bring a PG& E training facility to Winters that provided hundreds of jobs for local residents.


Cecilia was also involved in efforts to create the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in the inner California Coast Ranges that was proclaimed by President Obama in 2015.


She currently resides in Winters a block from her childhood home with her longtime partner, Larry Harris, and has a stepson and two grown daughters.


Marie Alvarado-Gil, California State Senator


Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil represents California’s 4th Senate District, which spans 13 counties across the Sierra and Central Valley. A native Californian, Marie grew up among apricot and cherry orchards and learned the values of hard work and perseverance from her grandparents. These values guided her through her studies at UC Davis, where she first pursued Animal Science, and later, through her career raising three children as a single mother. She earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco, establishing herself as a respected leader in the public and nonprofit sectors.


Elected in 2022, Marie is a strong advocate for rural communities, crime victims, and vulnerable children. Her landmark bill, SB 268, closes a dangerous loophole and provides vital protections for victims of sexual violence, further solidifying her reputation as a public safety champion. Her efforts have provided wildfire relief, protected agricultural rights, and strengthened partnerships with law enforcement. With a focus on pragmatic leadership, she promotes middle-class values, opposes government overreach, and works to unite communities.


Marie also is the founder of My First Farm, a nonprofit that introduces children to agriculture and animal care. She lives in Amador County with her husband, Cesar, and their blended family of six children, two grandchildren, and their beloved pugs.


Moderator Biography


Catharine Baker, Director of the UC Student and Policy Center and former California State Assemblymember


Catharine Baker, director of the UC Student and Policy Center, leads Universitywide public programming and outreach in the heart of Sacramento, including high-profile speakers, debates, and briefings that will engage elected officials, lawmakers, community groups, and thought leaders on timely national and state policy issues.


Baker, a former California State Assemblymember who represented the 16th Assembly District from 2014 through 2018, established a strong bipartisan record of service while passing significant legislation focused on transportation, the environment, and government accountability. As vice chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, she advocated for educational quality, affordability, and accessibility and worked with state leaders to promote more funding for and admissions opportunities at UC. She has served as a commissioner with the California Fair Political Practices Commission since 2020, following her appointment by then-State Controller Betty Yee.


An attorney with a distinguished career in private practice, Baker most recently served as special counsel at Hoge Fenton, advising businesses and nonprofits and practicing election law. Baker currently serves on the boards of the Diablo Regional Arts Association, California Women Lead, the Livermore Lab Foundation, and California Forward.


As director, Baker works closely with UC Center Sacramento leadership and staff to expand opportunities for UC students in the Capitol and elevate student voices with lawmakers.


Baker draws on deep ties to the University of California community that date to her time as a Berkeley Law student. As an assemblymember, Baker championed new investments in the University and helped to establish the California Firearm Violence Research Center at UC Davis. More recently, Baker served as the UC Center Sacramento’s 2023 Governance Fellow, providing guidance to UC undergraduates as they undertook coursework and internships at or near the Capitol.


Baker holds a J.D. from the UC Berkeley School of Law and a B.A. in political science from the University of Chicago.