Gerrie Schipske is a Registered Nurse Practitioner, Attorney, Author and Elected Official.
She was born in the US Naval Hospital in Long Beach, California on January 18, 1950. Her parents had met at the Pike in 1948 and were married at St. Lucy's Catholic Church on the west side of Long Beach.
Her family moved from Long Beach to Lakewood and then to Buena Park, where she lived until she moved to Washington, D.C., to join the Central Intelligence Agency in 1971. Upon returning from Washington, D.C., Gerrie completed her education at the University of California, Irvine and then relocated to Washington, D.C. again where she served on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives. While in Washington, D.C., she earned a Master's degree in Legislative Affairs.
In 1977, she was recruited by the City Manager of Long Beach to become the first Public Information Officer serving the City of Long Beach. She later served as the Commercial Services Officer for the City --which oversees billing and collections for the city's utilities and business licenses. Volunteering at the Venice Family Clinic, Gerrie decided to return to school and became a Registered Nurse Practitioner through Goldenwest College and the Harbor UCLA Women's Health Care Program.
Working in nursing for several years, she moved into health care and managed care management at St. Mary Medical Center, Blue Shield of California and Kaiser Permanente. She completed her Juris Doctor at Pacific Coast University School of Law and was admitted to both the California and U.S. Supreme Court Bars. She has also represented numerous health care providers on matters related to third party reimbursement and workers compensation.
A 1996 National finalist in the White House Fellow program, Gerrie was subsequently appointed by President Clinton to the US Attorney General's National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women.
She was elected to the Long Beach City College Board of Trustees in 1992 and worked to bring district elections and diversity to the college board. She won the Democratic primary in 1996 for the 54th Assembly but lost the general election by 1% of the 132,000 votes cast.
Gerrie has served on a number of community organizations over the years, including NWPC, NOW, AAUW, YWCA, City of Long Beach Board of Health and Human Services, and the Queensway Bay Advisory Committee. She helped establish the Police Department's Women's Advisory Committee, the Sexual Assault Response Team, Long Beach Cares and The Long Beach Rosie the Riveter Foundation.
In 2000, she won the Democratic nomination for Congress but lost by less than 1% of the more than 165,000 votes cast for the seat in the general election.
Elected to the Long Beach City Council in 2006 and re-elected by 64% in 2010, Gerrie Schipske represents the 5th Council District in east side Long Beach. She prides herself on the excellent constituent service provided by her office and the variety of ways she has reached out and involved her residents in making Long Beach a good place in which to live and to work.
Gerrie was appointed in 2007 by the California Senate Rules Committee to the Medical Board of California, where she serves as the first and only Registered Nurse on a medical board in the US. She was re-appointed in 2012 and elected Vice President of the Medical Board.
Gerrie served as the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Orange County and resides in Long Beach with her partner of more than 33 years, Flo Pickett. She and Flo have three grown children and a granddaughter.
In 2011, Gerrie resumed teaching at California State University, Long Beach (having taught part time for many years) where she teaches personnel management and legal aspects courses in the Health Care Administration Department. She also consults on negligence cases.
She is the author of three books on the history of Long Beach, published by Arcadia Publishing: "Rosie the Riveter in Long Beach; Early Aviation in Long Beach and Early Long Beach."
Gerrie served as the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Orange County and resides in Long Beach with her partner of more than 33 years, Flo Pickett. She and Flo have three grown children and a granddaughter.
In 2011, Gerrie resumed teaching at California State University, Long Beach (having taught part time for many years) where she teaches personnel management and legal aspects courses in the Health Care Administration Department. She also consults on negligence cases.
She is the author of three books on the history of Long Beach, published by Arcadia Publishing: "Rosie the Riveter in Long Beach; Early Aviation in Long Beach and Early Long Beach."