About Gary

A lifetime of service to Alameda.

It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as your trustee on the Alameda Board of Education for the past twelve years. Here's my story — and the record I'm running on.

A record of collaboration

Twelve years of rebuilding trust.

When I first ran in 2014, our community was concerned about strained relationships with our teachers, staff, and labor partners. Over the last twelve years, we have not only repaired those bonds — we have strengthened them into a model of collaboration.

Today, we enjoy a stable, three-year labor agreement with all of our collective bargaining units — a testament to the mutual trust and respect we have built. That stability means our students benefit from experienced educators and classified staff who feel valued, supported, and committed to our schools.

12
Years serving as your trustee on the Board of Education
Stable 3-year labor agreements
Trusted by educators & staff
Transparent budget review process
Historic investment

Promises made. Promises kept.

Thanks to the passage of two facilities bonds, we have delivered on promises that Alameda families waited decades to see fulfilled — completed on time and on budget, with transparent public oversight every step of the way.

New Wood Middle School

A state-of-the-art campus that our students and teachers now call home.

Historic Alameda High Renovation

Preserving our community's landmark while upgrading it for 21st-century learning.

New 700 Building at Encinal High

Modern classrooms and spaces that match the pride and excellence of the Encinal community.

Every dollar, aligned with our priorities.

Our board has continued the transparent budget review process we began years ago — ensuring parents, teachers, students, and community members have a real voice in how we invest in their future.

Rooted in Alameda

Our schools shaped who I am.

I am a local Asian-American Alamedan who attended Otis Elementary, Lincoln Middle, Alameda High, and Encinal High School. The education I received in our schools planted the seeds for my lifelong commitment to public service.

As a Lincoln Middle School student, I began attending school board meetings for a social studies civics assignment. Hearing board members Anne Muir, Lois Hanna, and Barbara Borden share their values taught me that the school board shapes not just policy, but the very character of our community.

In high school, as a teacher's aide for Don Perata's Social Science Department, I learned firsthand that civic engagement isn't a one-time act — it's a way of life.

Proud graduate of Alameda schools

  • Otis Elementary
  • Lincoln Middle School
  • Alameda High School
  • Encinal High School
Experience that counts

Fiscal discipline in every budget vote.

Education

  • Undergraduate degree in Accounting and Finance, Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley
  • Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society
  • Graduate degree, W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University — Regent Scholarship
  • Adjunct Associate Professor, teaching Managerial, Cost, and Financial Accounting and Financial Analysis for Business Proposals

Career & community

  • Director of Finance and Controller for several companies — the same fiscal discipline I bring to every budget vote
  • Co-founded a local youth basketball and volleyball club now serving over 300 Bay Area youth annually
  • Board member, Community of Harbor Bay Isle and Columbia Homeowner's Association
A parent's heart

An active parent, every step of the way.

As a parent, I volunteered actively in my children's schools over the years — serving on School Site Councils, PTA boards, English Language Advisory Committees, and principal selection committees at Bay Farm School, Lincoln Middle, Alameda High, and Encinal High.

I know our schools not just from the boardroom, but from the classroom, the cafeteria, and the sidelines.

School Site Councils
PTA Boards
English Language Advisory Committees
Principal Selection Committees

Looking ahead.

Over the next four years, I am deeply committed to expanding Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways so every Alameda graduate leaves our schools prepared for college, career, and life.

AUSD & Peralta Community College Partnership

To advance this work, I established the AUSD/Peralta Community College Subcommittee — a dedicated forum to align our shared interests with the College of Alameda and create clear, accessible pathways from our secondary schools into high-demand fields.

By strengthening this partnership, we can offer students more hands-on learning, industry certifications, and early college credit — all while building a stronger local workforce.

Hands-on learning
Industry certifications
Early college credit
Stronger workforce

Keep moving Alameda forward.

We have accomplished so much together, but our work is never finished. The needs of our students must always come first. I am proud of our record, and I am ready to keep moving Alameda forward.

I respectfully ask for your vote on November 3, 2026.