KELLY G. CANDAELE

Kelly G. Candaele was was first elected to the Board in June of 1997. He was re-elected in 2001 and again for another 4-year term in 2005.

Mr. Candaele received his M.A. degree in Counseling and Psychology from California State University, Chico in 1980. He is a product of the California community college system; attending both Hancock Community College and Butte Community College.

Upon graduation from Chico, Mr. Candaele traveled to Fairbury, Nebraska to work as a Counselor, Instructor of Psychology and athletic coach at Southwest Community College. Returning to California, he worked with disadvantaged and abandoned adolescents at the Deveraux Foundation in Santa Barbara before moving to Los Angeles in 1982.

Since the early 1980s, Mr. Candaele has worked extensively in the area of labor relations, politics and writing. He was Public Policy Director for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor before establishing his own consulting firm. During his tenure at the Labor Federation, he was appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley to “Workforce Los Angeles,” a school-to-work organization established to help non-college bound youths prepare for emerging job opportunities. He was also a member of the City’s Strategic Planning Committee.

Mr. Candaele is an accomplished writer and filmmaker. He has written extensively on public policy and history for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The Nation magazine and National Public Radio. With a deep personal interest in Irish history and culture, he is also a frequent contributor to Irish America magazine.

Mr. Candaele has produced a number of award winning documentary films, including “A League of Their Own,” about his mother’s experience as a professional baseball player in the All American Girl’s Professional Baseball League. His mother was a lifetime .290 hitter. Candaele wrote the story for the Columbia Picture’s feature film, “A League of Their Own,” which stared Tom Hanks and Geena Davis. He also produced and directed an award-winning film on the life of assassinated Swedish Prime Minister, Olof Palme and a film on the Northern Ireland peace process.

For eight years, Mr. Candaele taught classes in history, politics, economics and collective bargaining in the Labor Center at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. He has a particular interest in the areas of job training, career ladders and business labor partnerships.

September 2009