Elizabeth Emken

As California's U.S.Senate nominee in 2012, Elizabeth earned over 4.7 milllion votes, more than any other Republican Senate Candidate in the country. Elizabeth graduated from UCLA in 1984 with dual degrees in Economics and Political Science. Her studies included course work at Cambridge University, where she focused on political and economic issues in China and the Middle East. For many years, Elizabeth served in management, financial analysis, and corporate operations at IBM. She was "drafted" into a second career as an advocate for developmentally disabled children after her son, Alex, was diagnosed with autism. She is a former executive with Autism Speaks, one of the nation's largest non-profit organizations. Elizabeth has worked extensively advocating on behalf of military families at the Department of Defense for autism related medical services in TRICARE, the health care program for active duty service members and retirees. Elizabeth and her husband of 27 years, Craig, reside in Fair Oaks with their two daughters and 21-year-old son, Alex, who has autism spectrum disorder.