Amanda Renteria - WHS 1992

Amanda Renteria is the proud daughter of Trinidad and Helen Renteria. Both Trinidad and Helen are former migrant farmworkers who worked their way up in the fields as young adults. Her parents’ example and hard work helped to mold Amanda into a standout student and athlete at Woodlake High School in California’s agriculturally rich Central Valley. After leading her basketball, softball, and volleyball teams to league championships, Amanda was voted the Central Section’s CIF Girl Scholar/Athlete of the Year. Amanda graduated from Woodlake High School as the top student and valedictorian of the class of 1992.

Amanda was the first woman and Mexican-American from her small town to be accepted at Stanford University. Amanda went on to earn a BA in Economics as well as a BA in Political Science, with honors. About six years later, Amanda completed a Master’s degree in Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Her first job out of college, Amanda gained nearly four years of valuable private sector work experience as an investment analyst in Los Angeles. Amanda soon returned to Woodlake, to serve as a teacher. Using the skills she had gained in finance and economics, she taught Advanced Math and Economics at her high school. During this time, Amanda also coached the girls’ junior varsity basketball and softball teams. Immediately prior to joining Code for America, Amanda had been deeply involved in guiding Emerge America, a non-profit organization that trains Democratic women to run for elected office at all levels of government.

Previously, Amanda was the National Political Director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential Campaign. Immediately thereafter, she served as the Chief of Operations for the California Department of Justice under California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. While working for US Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in 2008, Amanda became the first Latina Chief of Staff in the history of the United States Senate. Prior to this, she was an economic policy advisor to US Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Amanda has worked at the highest levels of government and is a nationally recognized political strategist.

Previous Career Highlights:

• Board Chair, Interim President, and Senior Advisor for Emerge America
• Chief of Operations at the California Department of Justice
• National Political Director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 Presidential Campaign
• Chief of Staff in the United States Senate
• Graduate of Harvard and Stanford
• Proud daughter of California's Central Valley and mom of two energetic kids!