Gerrie Schipske, R.N.P., J.D.

Gerrie Schipske was appointed to the Division of Licensing by Senator Don Perata, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, in 2007. Licensed as both a registered nurse practitioner and an attorney, she serves as general counsel to the Teachers Association of Long Beach. In 2006, she was elected to a four-year term on the Long Beach City Council. She is the founder of Long Beach Cares, a non-profit organization that raises funds for the City of Long Beach's Department of Health and Human Services and other organizations that provide public health and human services, and www.rxforlongbeach.com, a Web site that assists low-income Long Beach residents in finding free prescription medication. She served on the Long Beach Board of Health and Human Services from 1985-1993, and was elected to the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees from 1992-1996.

Ms. Schipske earned her bachelors degree in history from the University of California, Irvine; her degree in nursing sciences from Golden West Community College; her certification as a registered nurse practitioner from the Harbor-UCLA Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program; her masters degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University; and her juris doctor degree from Pacific Coast University School of Law.