Meet Jeannette Witten

Candidate for Carmel Unified School District Governing Board Member Trustee Area 3

My name is Jeannette Witten. My husband Marty and I live in the beautiful Carmel Highlands with our 14-year-old twins who attend Carmel High School. We have family who have called majestic Big Sur home since the 1970’s. The people in the geographic areas that make up District 3 of CUSD are some of the most talented and forward-thinking individuals on the planet.

The unique nature of the people and land makes the needs of our District 3 students, families, and community unique as well.

I am an experienced school trustee having served on the Board of Santa Catalina School. I am also experienced in successfully managing finances and creating and implementing operational and strategic plans. I manage these activities daily in my role as Managing Partner at the historic law firm of Hudson Martin. I also serve and have served in numerous leadership roles within the community, including those supporting foster youth services, drug and alcohol recovery, and environmental protection: Board Chair Emeritus, CASA of Monterey County; Board Member, Sun Street Centers, and Founding Board Member, Protect Monterey Bay.

I will serve with excellence as your trustee and advocate for our District 3 students, families, and community.

More detail on Jeannette Witten’s background and her connections and commitment to CUSD and the greater community.

Jeannette’s Background, History, and Commitment to CUSD

My name is Jeannette Witten. I am a parent of twins, Hamish and Heidi Witten Forsythe, who are in 9th grade at Camel High School. Our family has lived in Carmel Unified School District since 2000. We currently live in the Carmel Highlands area which is District 3. I moved to the Carmel area in 1999 from Pennsylvania, where I grew up as the oldest of five siblings to a father who was an electrician and a mother who was a teacher. My parents and one sister still live in Pennsylvania, but my other siblings have moved to California over the years. Family is first of course for all of us and my local immediate and extended family enjoys a close relationship – hiking together, sharing family dinners, supporting the nieces and nephews through sports and school, all while being very engaged in our greater community.

I have been licensed to practice law since 1998 and I am licensed in both California and Pennsylvania. Since 2013, I have served as the Managing Partner of Hudson Martin PC. In that role, I am responsible for all aspects of the management of our business including establishing and implementing fiscal policies. Under my leadership, this historic firm dating back to 1908 has grown significantly fiscally, in client base, and in workplace numbers. Through excellent service to our clients, we have been recognized as being a leading firm in the area. We are engaged with the community in volunteer hours and in financially supporting our local charities. I am most proud that our fiscal policies have allowed us to improve our facilities significantly and that our firm has established a reputation for a diverse, positive workplace. I was recognized county wide in the fall of 2019 for providing a workplace that allows for equality for women in professional and career development. Hudson Martin manages many types of cases, but my personal law practice areas are primarily in business transactions and estate planning. I believe in treating each client as if their challenge were my own or that of a close family member. It is that care and attention that our entire team provides to our clients that sets us apart. I will bring the same time, attention and care to my role on the CUSD board. The concerns of all stakeholders will be treated with the care and respect of my own concerns. I will do my absolute best job for each stakeholder in the CUSD school district.

Community

While I was the co-chair of our public interest law society back in law school, the real world so to speak has not lent itself to allow me a full-time career in the public sector. However, from day one as an attorney in private practice, I have made sure that a meaningful part of my daily life, year over year has been and will be supporting our greater community. Most dear to me have been those most vulnerable, children in compromised situations. From 2007 – 2017 I served on the board of directors of CASA of Monterey County supporting foster youth. Many of those year I served as Board Chair, and I currently serve as Board Chair Emeritus for CASA of Monterey County. For over 14 years, I have been honored to have had the chance to help support two former foster youths who refer to me as Aunt Nette. I have been one of the key adults in their lives which have traversed successfully through the CUSD schools. It has been humbling to see the support, grace and love the CUSD teachers and staff have shown them – it has truly taken a village, and I could not have more respect for the employees of CUSD who have played a crucial role in the lives of these foster children. I know that professionalism, care, and attention is in every classroom every day for the students of CUSD.

By way of other community involvement. I currently serve on the Board of Directors of Sunstreet Centers for drug and alcohol recovery. I have also served on the boards of Hands To Help Seniors and Pacific Repertory Theater in Carmel. Additionally, I was a founding board member of Protect Monterey Bay.