Long Beach Unified School District Governing Board Member, District 5 in Long Beach Unified School District District 5, California

2026 Primary Election

• Maureen Flaherty — Special Education Teacher in Long Beach, California

  Maureen 'Quinn' Flaherty is a Long Beach native and has been working in the education field since 2004. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Education and Counseling, along with two educational credentials, which allow her to teach and counsel students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Currently, she works as a special education teacher for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she founded a grassroots group called Long Beach Freedom USA to educate people on constitutional rights. She is also involved with organizations such as the Eagle Forum, Children's Health Defense, and Moms for Liberty.

• Sara Pol-Lim — Community Leader and former Regional Program Manager for the State of California 2020 Census in Long Beach, California

  Dr. Sara Pol-Lim was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1966. At age nine, she and her family were forced from their home by the Khmer Rouge and displaced to labor camps, where her father and three younger brothers died. In 1981, she and her mother immigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Long Beach in 1983. Dr. Pol-Lim earned a master's degree from Chapman University and a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from California State University, Long Beach, in 2018. She served as the Executive Director of the United Cambodian Community (UCC) from 2007 to 2015. Her most recent documented role was as a Regional Program Manager for the California Complete Count - Census 2020.

• Diana Craighead — Long Beach Unified School District Governing Board Member, District 5 in Long Beach, California

  Diana Craighead has been a member of the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education since 2012 and currently holds the position of board president. A resident of Long Beach for many years, she represents District 5. Her three children attended schools in the district from kindergarten through high school. Before her time on the board, Craighead was a Montessori preschool teacher and has been involved in PTA leadership for 30 years at the school, council, and district levels. Her leadership is centered on enhancing public education and preparing students for their futures in college, careers, and beyond.