ANCA Pasadena Endorses Felita Kealing for Pasadena Unified School Board, Distr

PASADENA, Calif. — Felita Kealing, an Altadena resident raised in Pasadena Unified School District schools, a PUSD parent, and a longtime PUSD employee, is a candidate for the PUSD Board of Education, District 1. Her campaign centers on three priorities: student achievement, parent engagement and connection, and community involvement.

Kealing’s connection to PUSD spans generations. Her family moved to Pasadena when she was six weeks old, and she has called Northwest Pasadena and Altadena home ever since. She attended Pasadena Head Start, Madison Elementary, Hamilton, Wilson, and Blair High School, and she is the parent of two PUSD graduates. Her mother, Gladys Lewis, was an educator and nonprofit leader who served children, families, and seniors throughout Pasadena. Since 2014, she has worked for the District at Thurgood Marshall Secondary School, where she serves as Assistant Coordinator of Marketing, Student Recruitment, and Community Relations. She previously served the school as a Community Representative.

Before joining PUSD, Felita Kealing built a career in marketing, sales, and client relations, including roles at Fidelity National Title and Lenders Process Services. She holds an associate degree in humanities from Pasadena City College and a bachelor’s degree in communications from California State University, Los Angeles.

“Kealing has a firm grasp of the issues afflicting the school district and an understanding of what it would take to remedy the issues of concern for both the district’s children and their parents and those of the Armenian American community whose children attend the district’s schools,” said ANCA Pasadena Chapter Board Member, Harout Kazarian.

Felita and her family lost their Altadena home of 25 years in the Eaton Fire in January 2025. Like many District 1 families, she was carried through the loss by neighbors, educators, churches, and families who supported one another. 

“The strongest communities are built by people who show up for one another,” she said.

Kealing has served numerous District committees, including the PUSD LCAP Parent Advisory Committee, the Strategic Plan Steering Committee, the Graduate Standards Committee, and a School Consolidation Committee. She is a founding member of the African American Parent Council. At the school-site level, she has served on the School Site Council, PTSA, Annual Fund, and Athletic Boosters.

A member of the Pasadena Educational Foundation board for 12 years, Kealing served seven years on the Executive Board and three as Board President. During her tenure, PEF raised millions of dollars annually in support of PUSD students and schools. She is also a member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and serves as Church Moderator at Altadena Baptist Church.

Kealing describes herself as a collaborator who builds partnerships that bring people, resources, and ideas together. Her work includes helping establish the PUSD African American Parent Council, organizing food and school-supply drives, supporting literacy initiatives, and creating family-engagement programs. “I do not measure success by titles,” she said. “I measure it by relationships, trust, collaboration, and the lasting communities we build together.”

Priorities for Pasadena’s Students
Student Achievement. Kealing plans to build on the District’s recent progress. The Class of 2019 was the first to graduate under PUSD’s new standards, which include College and Career Pathway Programs, A-G requirements, and the Senior Graduate Defense. Those changes have contributed to a higher graduation rate and improved eligibility for four-year public universities.

Parent Engagement and Connection. Kealing believes families must remain at the table. “Often, parents are the ones who have chosen to bring their children to Pasadena schools,” she said. “When they entrust us with their most precious asset, their children, their voices matter.” She notes a direct correlation between parent engagement and student success.

Community Involvement. Kealing will work to partner with local organizations, businesses, and institutions of higher learning to build capacity and bring more resources to students.

“I am entrenched in PUSD and, more importantly, in this community,” Kealing said. “I want to continue the successes we have seen as a District and build on them.”

Kealing’s candidacy has been endorsed by:

• Los Angeles County Democratic Party (D41)
• National Women’s Political Caucus, Pasadena Chapter
• PUSD School Employees, Teamsters Local 986
• California School Employees Association (CSEA), Chapter 434

Felita Kealing is a longtime Altadena resident, PUSD alumna, parent of two PUSD graduates, and District employee with more than a decade of service to Pasadena’s schools and families. She is running to ensure every PUSD student has the opportunity to succeed.

The ANCA—Pasadena Chapter wishes Felita Kealing all the best in her quest for the Pasadena Unified District 1 Board seat, and proudly endorses her candidacy for Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education District 1 seat in the upcoming General Election in November, 2026. A leader who will certainly champion Pasadena and Altadena’s Students and their families.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Pasadena Chapter is the oldest, largest, and most influential non-partisan Armenian American grassroots organization of its kind within the City of Pasadena. Founded in 1979, the Pasadena ANCA advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city’s thriving Armenian American community and promotes increased civic service and participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.