Distinguishing herself in the search for a cure for cancer and other illnesses, Jill has been a Sponsor and Team Leader of the Revlon Run/Walk for Breast and Ovarian Cancer. Jill was named by the American Cancer Society to Chair the Valley’s first “Relay for Life” event in the fall of 2001, and was one of the organizers of the first “Walk for the Whisper” against ovarian cancer in Southern California, held in the Valley in 1999. In August 2002, Jill was appointed as the only lay member of the Institutional Review Committee of the Sherman Oaks Hospital and Health Center. Because of her personal fight in overcoming breast cancer, Jill was awarded “Most Inspirational Woman in Business” Award by Sen. Jack Scott and Assemblymembers Dario Frommer and Carol Liu.
The City of Los Angeles has twice honored Jill for her distinguished civic leadership. She was named a “Bicentennial Woman of the Year” in 1976, and she was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the City for her leadership and service in 1981. She was nominated for the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s recognition of “Women Who Mean Business” in 2002 and 2003. Councilman Jack Weiss appointed Jill to the City’s Burglar Alarm Task Force.
Jill Barad and Associate Ross Hopkins with LA City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel at the VICA Annual Local Elected Officials luncheon wearing stickers supporting business tax reform in the City of LA
Jill chaired Mayor Tom Bradley’s Advisory Committee on Education for six years during the turbulent time when the L.A. School District was under court order to integrate. She was in the forefront of mandating parental involvement in decision-making in the Los Angeles public schools. The Mayor appointed Jill to serve on the prestigious citywide Citizens Advisory Committee on Student Integration (CACSI). In 1976 she founded The Open School, the first community-initiated magnet school in the LAUSD, and which has served as the model for magnet schools throughout the District, and became the first charter school in the State.
Jill developed the successful public relations and fundraising strategy for the creation of Para Los Ninos, the child care facility on Skid Row in Los Angeles, by personally convincing Mayor Bradley, the LA Times, and the LA corporate community to support the project.
As a Vice President of The Executives, a support group for the L.A. Jewish Home for the Aging, Jill chaired the Special Events Committee, where she oversaw the organization’s fundraising activities. She co-chaired the “Circle of Life” Dinners in 2002 and 2003, the signature event for the Home. Jill also has chaired the Awards Dinner for the past four years, writing and performing original songs. She chaired the July 2004 theatre party and is an elected Board member.
Jill is Treasurer and Board Member of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce. Jill is founder of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council and served as its interim chair guiding the Council through the certification and election process. Jill is the founder and Chair of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, a coalition of members of the neighborhood councils in the San Fernando Valley. Jill is on the Board of VICA and is past Chair of the State Issues Committee. She has been a finalist the last four years for the Fernando Award, the Valley’s highest award for voluntarism.
Jill owns her own public relations, government and community affairs firm, Jill Barad & Associates. She has provided consulting and management for federal, state, local and judicial campaigns, as well as statewide and local ballot measures. Since 1988, Jill has been teaching political public relations, media, and fundraising at UCLA. She was featured as a top consultant in California Journal, and was profiled on National Public Radio (NPR). Jill writes a monthly column for the Sherman Oaks Sun.
Jill has lived in Sherman Oaks for 33 years, raising and educating her three children. She is a native of Philadelphia. A graduate of Temple University, she earned a BA with honors in English, and was named Outstanding Senior Woman.