With much sadness, the community of the League of Women Voters of the Bay Area, LWV San Jose/Santa Clara, and LWV Santa Clara County share the news about our dear friend and colleague Roma Dawson. Roma succumbed to cancer on December 6, 2025.

“She was such a force of nature in her enthusiasm for making our city, county, and the whole Bay Area a better place.” Comment from a friend and colleague

Many of us knew Roma as a long-time dedicated League and community member for San Jose and her Bay Area community. Roma focused on housing and touched many other programs in her work, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and was Director of Public Policy for the City of San Jose.   

Sharing some Roma history…

From Margie Matthews: In 1982 Roma was in the second class of the Santa Clara County Coro Women’s Leadership Class, a national organization for leadership training in public affairs.  Twelve local women were selected to participate. It was a time of very few women in public affairs, except for San Jose and Santa Clara County — the Feminist Capital of the World!  Our County was also noted for women helping women.

 Coro Fellows were trained in:

Researching public issues in a collaborative way, Interviewing community leaders, and Developing recommendations on issues, Evaluating our projects — What worked.  What didn’t work.

Other activities included: Public speaking and dressing for success, Grace under pressure, Networking, Internships in the private sector - And most important — building confidence in our own ability to participate.

The Coro training changed the lives of participants.

Immediately after Coro, three of us, Roma Dawson, Nancy Symanski, and I, volunteered for the Tom McEnery for Mayor Campaign.  Roma and Nancy were charged with opening a campaign headquarters in Willow Glen, I was appointed the Get out the Vote Coordinator (GOTV).

From her husband, Daniel - That Coro experience launched Roma’s career in a number of political, governmental, community organizations over 40 years.  She was a tireless worker.  Her knowledge of local government and community affairs was vast.  Her network of people and affiliations was endless. She was always supportive, always positive, and retained friendships along the way.  San Jose is a better place because of Roma Dawson.

 This background supported Roma in her work with San Jose at multiple levels. Additional background includes:

• Earned a Bachelor's degree in psychology from U.C. Berkeley in 1972.
• Taught GED (high school equivalency) to U.S. Army soldiers in Wackernheim, Germany, for about a year.

• Was drawn to local government service following training from the CORO Foundation. Among her classmates was Margie Matthews, later elected to the San Jose City Council.
• With another classmate (who?), was part of the core staff of Tom McEnery’s first campaign for election to San Jose Mayor.
• With the same classmate was part of the core staff of Zoe Lofgren’s first campaign for election to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
• While on the City Hall staff of Mayor Tom McEnery from 1983-1989, she drove the founding of the first San Jose America Festival, a Fourth of July celebration in Discovery Meadow, next to the Children’s Discovery Museum downtown. The San Jose Symphony performed a live concert finishing with Tchaikovsky 's 1812 Overture, complete with firing of an antique cannon at the appropriate spots. A robust fireworks display was presented over the area - made difficult by the fact that it intruded on the final flight path into San Jose Airport. Required real-time coordination with FAA flight control at the airport so that no fireworks were launched during arrivals of airliners.
• Was Chief of Staff to San Jose City Councilmember Charlotte Powers, 1993-1998
• Had a long-time leadership association, including as President, with Tapestry In Talent, who produced the Tapestry Arts Festival on Labor Day weekends. Covered multiple streets closed to traffic adjacent to the Performing Arts Center.
• For a period was on the board of the San Jose Stage Company, “the South Bay’s leading professional theatre company”.
• Roma was employed by the San Jose Downtown Association from 1990-1992 and was then employed as Director of Citywide Marketing, 1999-2002  by the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau. Focus was marketing San Jose as a ‘destination’.
• She served the district office staff of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren from 2002-2005 focusing on immigration problems.
• She served as a Council Assistant to Councilmember/Vice-Mayor Cindy Chavez, 2004-2006.
• After working on the election of Sam Liccardo to San Jose City Council, she served from 2007-2010 as a Council Assistant/Senior Council Assistant.

As a member of the League of Women Voters San Jose/Santa Clara from 2013-2025, she served on the Board of Directors and as Chair of Housing Action Committee. She served on the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of the Bay Area and as Co-President from 2022-2025. 

Roma's work will be her strong legacy. The League of Women Voters benefited from her humor, creativity and strong leadership skills. She is and will continue to be missed and we honor her with this tribute.