Lyndsey Burcina was born in Santa Rosa and has resided there ever since, spending most of her childhood in her grandparent’s West County home. There, she was raised to value and honor her Japanese-American heritage, keeping up with her family’s traditions. She is a Japanese folk dance instructor with Enmanji Buddhist Temple in Sebastopol and the 2020 & 2021 title holder of Japanese-America’s Miss California.

Lyndsey attended Elsie Allen High School, where she launched her career as a Restorative Justice Practitioner at the age of 17, becoming one of the youngest specialists in the country to present and be recognized by the International Institute for Restorative Practices at their Word Conference in 2017. Since graduating in 2018, she has developed a curriculum now used in 13 states.

She has worked with many organizations within Sonoma County and has dedicated the last five years to serving her community. Lyndsey looks forward to serving the county and growing and learning as new opportunities arise.