Rosemary Stasek lives in Kabul, Afghanistan working on reconstruction and development projects. She first traveled there soon after the fall of the Taliban leading projects directly benefiting women including the women's prison, maternity wards, political empowerment and employment training.

Stasek served 2 terms on the City Council in Mountain View, California. She was elected to her first term in 1996, re-elected in 2000 and served as Vice Mayor in 1999. She served as the City’s Mayor for the year 2000. She represented the city in many regional, statewide and national forums, specializing in issues around housing and homeland security.

In addition to serving on the Mountain View City Council, Stasek has a broad history of political involvement, especially women’s issues activism. She has served on the Board of Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte and the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women.  Her honors include being named a Distinguished Woman of the 14^th Congressional District, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights Freedom of Religion Award and the Alameda National Women’s Political Caucus Pro-Choice Champion Award.  She was a nominee for the Silicon Valley Women of Achievement Award.  She was a candidate for the California State Assembly in March 2002.

In 1999 she was selected by the Secretary of Defense to participate in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, which took her to military installations across the country and aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean.  She broadened her knowledge of military affairs, especially issues involving women in serving in the Armed Forces. She serves as a member of the US Air Force Space Commanders Group.

Stasek worked for over a decade in the computer industry as a web developer and system administrator for prominent high tech firms in Silicon Valley.  She spent six years as an instructor at DeAnza Community College teaching Introduction to Microcomputer Networks.

Stasek’s interest in international issues has taken her to Nepal, Ecuador, France, Britain, Holland, Germany, Italy, The United Arab Emirates, The Czech and Slovak Republics, Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Venezuela, Tanzania and Vietnam. In 1998 she traveled to Cuba as a member of a special women's delegation and in May 2002 she was a member of a one of the first delegations to return to Afghanistan.

Stasek is an award-winning food preserver and has taught classes on food preservation including making jams, jellies and pickles. In June 2004 she developed and led a class to teach Afghan women to make preserves in an income-generating project.

Stasek was born and raised in Northeast Pennsylvania and graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics. She was a Dean’s List student and manager of the football and wrestling teams. She is currently serving a second term on the President's Council of Cornell Women.