Miya Saika Chen is Mayor Barbara Lee’s Chief of Staff, a lifelong Oaklander, attorney, and public servant with more than 20 years of experience in local, state, and federal government. Formerly Chief of Staff to the President of the Oakland City Council, Saika Chen led efforts to expand public safety prevention programs to reduce gun violence; expand affordable housing options; and support and retain small businesses.

Saika Chen previously served as a Senior Advisor in President Barack Obama’s administration, where she led a White House Initiative to increase culturally competent services and outreach to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including immigrant and underserved populations. As a civil rights and public interest lawyer, she worked to increase job opportunities for justice-involved youth and adults and provided legal representation to grassroots organizations fighting for community benefits, worker protections, affordable housing, and immigrant rights.