Thursday, July 23, 2026

McNamara Hopes to Win School Board District 7 Seat

By ANDRÈ COLEMAN, Managing Editor

[From a courtesy photo]

Dennis J. McNamara, a longtime Pasadena Unified School District volunteer and chair of the district’s school bond oversight committee, has pulled papers for the District 7 seat on the PUSD Board of Education.

McNamara is seeking the seat currently held by Yarma Velázquez, who previously announced she will not seek reelection.

District 7 stretches from the Linda Vista neighborhood in west Pasadena to Madison Heights.

“I am grateful for Yarma’s service and her deep commitment to the students, families and the entire PUSD community,” McNamara said in a statement. “I especially appreciate her focus on academic achievement — a commitment I will continue if elected.”

McNamara said the district faces significant challenges but pointed to what he described as its strong academic foundation, including its dual-language immersion programs, International Baccalaureate curriculum and partnership with Pasadena City College.

“Our dual-language immersion programs, International Baccalaureate curriculum and strong partnership with Pasadena City College are outstanding assets,” McNamara said. “I want to channel that energy into strengthening classroom instruction, expanding opportunities for every student and creating an environment where educators can collaborate and share best practices.”

McNamara said he has volunteered as a math tutor at Washington Elementary School for the past three years. He serves as chair of the Citizens’ Oversight Committee responsible for monitoring the district’s $1.4 billion Measures O and R school modernization program.

McNamara said he and his wife raised their children in public schools and have supported the Pasadena Educational Foundation. He said he also serves as a college scholarship evaluator for the Pasadena Community Foundation.

Professionally, McNamara spent more than two decades with Pasadena-based Western Asset Management, where, according to his statement, he held an executive leadership position overseeing budgeting, staffing and information systems for the firm’s global investment team. Earlier in his career, he said, he worked at ARCO, rising to head of money markets and foreign exchange trading.

He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago, according to the statement.

The PUSD Board of Education election will be held Nov. 3, 2026. District elections are decided by plurality, meaning the candidate receiving the most votes wins, even without a majority.

Candidates who pull nomination papers are not officially qualified for the ballot until they complete the filing process with the City Clerk, including submitting the required signatures.