Commissioner Candela is a parent of two children ages 7 months and 10. She has lived in Sonoma County for 16 years. She is currently the Health Equity Officer for the County of Sonoma, ensuring that racial equity is centered in the County’s response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. In 2019, Denia founded her firm, DC Equity Methods, focusing on training, development, and assessment of equity metrics and analysis. As a statistician, Denia leads with a unique approach to analytics by ensuring community narrative is at the forefront of metrics through a lens of equity, methodology, and cultural competence. Her expertise stems from lived experiences with disparities and community resilience.
As a young mother she persevered and became the first in her family to pursue higher education and has been a staunch advocate for early education, her commitment for improving the inequitable gaps of young children and their families includes five years in the field as part of her expertise. Denia currently serves as a board member of Los Cien Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, and is a former commissioner of Sonoma County Regional Parks. She also has been in The Press Democrat’s 30 Inspiring Individuals Under 30, three consecutive years. Candela’s story was featured in Sonoma County’s Women in conversation by Sonoma State University’s president Dr. Judy Sakaki in 2017.
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