Meet Our Board Members
The San José-Evergreen Community College District is governed by a seven-member board of trustees. These trustees represent a population of nearly 900,000 people based on the 2020 US Census.
Trustee Areas Districtwide Map Board-Adopted Jan.25, 2022
(Zoom in/out for street level details)
Trustees By Area
- Vacant - Area 1
Trustee Area 1 Web Map (zoom in for details)- Ms. Karen Martinez - Area 2
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Trustee since December 2018
Email: Karen.Martinez@sjeccd.edu
Trustee Area 2 Web Map (zoom in for details) - Mr. Tony Alexander, Board President - Area 3
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Trustee since June 2022
Email: Tony.Alexander@sjeccd.edu
Trustee Area 3 Web Map (zoom in for details)BIO
Trustee Tony Alexander is President & CEO of JW Consulting group and former Political Director & Assistant to the President for United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 5, the largest private sector UFCW union in Northern California, from which he retired in September 2015. He is an American Leadership Forum (ALF) Senior Fellow with ALF - Silicon Valley. ALF is a network of regional leaders committed to serving the common good in Silicon Valley.
Tony served on the Executive Board of the UFCW Minority Coalition and was a founding member of Taxi San José. He is a past Board member of San José Conservation Core, past Board member African American Community Service Agency, and past Chair of the Labor & Industry Committee California State NAACP. Tony is the past President of Silicon Valley African American Democratic Coalition, past President San Jose Silicon Valley NAACP, and he was a former elected Trustee for Alum Rock Union School District where he served as Board President.
He is a graduate of Joseph George Middle School in Alum Rock School District, James Lick High school, and San José City College and he attended San José State University.
He is also a member of the San José Jazz Board and serves on the Silicon Valley Black Legends Executive Board.
- Ms. Maria Fuentes - Area 4
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Trustee since January 1991
Email: Maria.Fuentes@sjeccd.edu
Trustee Area 4 Web Map (zoom in for details)BIO
Trustee Maria Fuentes returned to the SJECCD Board of Trustees in December 2018, after previously serving as Trustee for 23 years from 1991 to 2014. Maria brings her creativity and passion for education to making strategic policy decisions that benefit students at San José City College, Evergreen Valley College, the Milpitas Extension, the local community and economy, and the success of and good working conditions for classified, faculty, management, and executive staff of SJECCD.
Like most students she serves, Maria sought her opportunity at a community college. Maria started at Bakersfield Community College before transferring to San José State University, where she earned a BA in Liberal Studies and a minor in Mexican American Studies. She later received a Master of Social Welfare from UC Berkeley.
Understanding the challenges of mental illness and the importance of accessible, culturally competent services, Maria devoted close to 40 years as a manager in public mental health, working in several community agencies and with the County of Santa Clara. She retired in 2019. Trustee Fuentes is always accessible and dedicates her service to helping all students fulfill their dreams!
- Ms. Wendy Ho, Board Vice President - Area 5
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Trustee since December 2012
Email: Wendy.Ho@sjeccd.edu
Trustee Area 5 Web Map (zoom in for details)BIO
Wendy Ho, MPA, is a community advocate and civic leader with over 15 years of experience working on behalf of students and underserved communities at the local, state, and federal level.
Currently, Wendy serves as the Chief of Staff for Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee. She previously served as Chief Strategy and Policy Officer for the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits. Wendy was formerly the Advocacy & Public Policy Program Manager at United Way Silicon Valley. At United Way, Wendy worked to improve the quality of life of Silicon Valley residents through advocacy and public policy change in the areas of education, financial stability and health. Prior to United Way, Wendy served as the research and policy analyst for the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, a national health justice organization that influences policy and mobilizes communities to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Wendy’s policy experience also includes serving as a legislative fellow for Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) where she managed the Congressman’s Homeland Security, language access, and Asian American and Pacific Islander issue portfolio.
Committed to public service, Wendy has served on the San José - Evergreen Community College District Board of Trustees since 2012. During her tenure on the Board, Wendy has championed student success and equity. Recognizing the need to develop diverse community college leaders, Wendy is the Past Chair of the California Community College Asian Pacific Islander Trustees and Administrators Caucus.
She has been recognized as one of 100 “Women of Influence” by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and was the recipient of the 2016 Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ Horizon Award for her work promoting, encouraging, mentoring and inspiring other Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to serve the community through public service. In 2018, Wendy was honored by State Assembly member Ash Kalra with a Leadership in Public Service Award and by the Filipina Women’s Network as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World.
Wendy holds a Master’s in Public Affairs from Indiana University and dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Japanese Studies from the University of California, San Diego.
- Dr. Jeffrey Lease - Area 6
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Trustee since December 2010
Email: Jeffrey.Lease@sjeccd.edu
Trustee Area 6 Web Map (zoom in for details)BIO
Trustee Dr. Jeffrey Lease was born and raised in San José, where he has provided chiropractic care for more than 20 years. Dr. Lease has close personal ties with SJECCD, faculty, classified professional staff, and their families. He worked as a campus administrator for four years at Evergreen Valley College and his mother, Lois, retired after serving SJECCD for more than 33 years. His passion is to ensure that every child in the community has the same educational opportunities he did growing up in San José. Dr. Lease earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree in 2000 from Palmer College Chiropractic West.
- Mr. Clay Hale - Trustee Area 7
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Trustee since December 2023
Email: Clay.Hale@sjeccd.edu
Trustee Area 7 Web Map (zoom in for details)BIO
Trustee Clay Hale, MA, joined the San José-Evergreen Community College District Board of Trustees in December 2023. His dedication to education stems from his current tenure as a high school social science teacher, where he teaches AP U.S. Government and Economics to high school seniors. Being a first-generation college graduate in his family, Hale is passionate about education equity and helping students have a voice in their educational journeys.
Trustee Hale's academic journey began in the California community college system at Sierra College. He continued with a transfer to UC Berkeley, where he majored in History with a concentration in United States History and Foreign Policy. Hale obtained a single-subject social science teaching credential from Loyola Marymount University and a Master's in Urban Education with a concentration in Educational Policy and Administration.
Trustee Hale has led numerous teacher professional developments and is a presenter at various conferences focusing on integrating civic education and technology in classroom settings. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he actively participates in his high school's leadership as the social science department chair, school site council president, and as a union site representative.
Trustee Hale is a strong advocate for promoting student civic engagement. Hale developed an innovative civic action project at his school, encouraging students to engage in civic action projects to advocate for positive change within their local communities. He firmly believes in the unique perspectives and influential voices of young people. Trustee Hale is dedicated to nurturing their participation in civic activities and fostering a more promising and inclusive future for all students.
Student Trustees
- Edgar Jimenez Granados - EVC Student Trustee
Email: Edgar.Jimenez@sjeccd.edu
- Pratham Tated - SJCC Student Trustee
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Email: Pratham.Tated@sjeccd.edu
BIO
Pratham Tated is a second-year Computer Science major at SJCC, aiming to transfer to a UC in Fall 2025. He balances academics with on-campus and off-campus work. For over a decade, he has been actively participating in figure and roller skating, earning over 100 medals. He is currently a certified roller skating referee.
He is actively involved in Community Services. He assisted in providing oxygen concentrators to COVID-19 patients (April 2021 - November 2022). He also volunteered at a COVID-19 care Center and hospitals in food service during the pandemic (May 2021 - June 2021). Also, he distributed food packets during Cyclone Hudhud (October 2014 - November 2014).
He is committed to being a strong voice for SJCC students and looking forward to serving the community by supporting his fellow students and making our college even more exceptional.
Redistricting of Trustee Areas
The US Census 2020 redistricting of Trustee Areas boundaries was conducted in 2021 and 2022. Below is the January 25, 2022 Board-adopted redistricting map.
Final Board-Adopted Districtwide Web Map January 25, 2022 per US 2020 Census (zoom in for details)
Adopted Resolution 012522-1 & Map D5
SJECCD Global Ends Statement
The San José-Evergreen Community College District exists to ensure all students, especially those with educational and/or socioeconomic challenges, will have the skills and capabilities to be successful in the next stage of their life, sufficient to justify the use of available resources.
Ends Policies: Student Success
The San José-Evergreen Community College District will improve student success through enhanced educational services and programs and strengthened community engagement.
Included in Student Success:
- Transferability (All students, especially under-prepared students, will achieve academic success sufficient to transfer (EVC, SJCC) to a four-year post-secondary institution.)
- College Readiness (Students will develop the language skills to succeed in college, the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information, and will be able to effectively communicate with others and successfully work collaboratively in culturally diverse settings.)
- College Experience (Enrichment opportunities will exist to enhance the learning environment and support student success.)
- Degree and Certificate Completion (Students will complete degrees and certificates to enter the workforce.)
Ends Policies: Community Impact
As a leader in the Silicon Valley, the San José-Evergreen Community College District will be an active partner with civic and other community leaders to create a strong economy and foster social-economic equity and social justice.
Included in Community Impact:
- Career Development (Students will acquire skills sufficient to get, keep and progress in jobs with local employers, particularly in high wage/high growth areas, for all students, especially for: under-prepared students; older displaced students; and young people at the start of their careers.)
- Community, business, industry and trades partnerships/collaborations (The District will collaborate with business, industry, and the trades for high employment in quality jobs through job placement, internships, mentorships and philanthropic development.)
Board of Trustees Ends Policies and Governance Principles Document