Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed visited with Berkeley Technology Academy (BTA) students to talk about the opportunities in and the rewards of public service, and to encourage students to follow their dreams. She shared with students how both she and Berkeley’s recently retired Fire Department Chief Debra Prior achieved “firsts” as African-American female fire chiefs in the United States. Chief Reed was the first African American woman to serve as Fire Chief in a large metropolitan city, and Chief Prior was the first African American woman fire chief in the nation when she was appointed in Berkeley. Her message was that even against many odds, anything was possible. The visit was arranged by Village Connect, a Bay Area non profit working in partnership with BTA.
