McDonald named new GVRD board member
She fills position left vacated after Karen Sims passed away
Adjoa McDonald has always enjoyed working with people and educating them. Now she will have a chance to do that on a larger scale.
The Greater Vallejo Recreation District named McDonald as its newest board member this week as she will fill the slot that was vacated after Karen Sims passed away in December.
McDonald has been an urban educator for over ten years and is a credentialed teacher and administrator. She currently serves as a dean at MIT in Vallejo. Her master’s degree from Concordia University is in Educational Leadership, while she earned her bachelors degree from UCLA.
McDonald also helps out with the Vallejo Project, a community service center designed to improve student outcomes by connecting youth to multi-gen
erational enrichment and development opportunities in the trades, art, wellness and culture.
“I’m very excited for this new role because I like engaging students on wellness, arts and culture,” McDonald said on Friday. “This will be really nice because now I’ll have a larger reach. I’m also excited because it’s a more of an under-the-radar type position to serve. If you’re on city council you’re always in the limelight. With this role I can help out people but without the publicity that usually comes with it.”
McDonald said she found out she had received the position after a friend called her up while watching a council meeting.
“I got a call from an artist I often work with,” McDonald said. “She told me I had just been commissioned in. I was thrilled and excited to learn the news. The GVRD is an interesting position in that they don’t belong to the city but are still partnered with them. They serve a lot of youth though and as a longtime credentialed teacher that is something I’m very interested in.”
McDonald likes going out in the community and helping people. This Sunday at the Solano County Fairgrounds she will helping out with Sustainable Solano, Food is Free Solano and the Vallejo Project as they are all collaborating to provide raised garden beds, soil, plants, and seeds to residents of South Vallejo. The raised beds are being built by Vallejo Project volunteers.
“One of the things I’m looking forward to the most is bridging gaps and connecting GVRD more with the city and school districts,” McDonald said. “There are so many groups in our community that need our support. I’d rather have everyone work together rather than go at it solo.”
McDonald said she didn’t know Sims, a longtime activist in Vallejo that served on the board since January of 2020 when she replaced Wendell Quigley. Sims’ term was supposed to last until the end of 2023, but she passed away two months ago, much to the displeasure of former Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan.
When Sampayan ran for Vallejo mayor in 2016, Sims was his campaign manager.
“Karen was truly a pillar in this community,” Sampayan said in December. “She was a person respected by so many. She had the best intentions for the community at the fore