A Community College success story…

 “I am a poster child for the successful vision of the 1960 California Master Plan for Higher Education. My father spoke no English when he entered kindergarten. I am the first generation in my family to attend college. 

I was lucky enough to attend Delta College in Stockton, transfer to Cal to finish my undergrad, and later go to Harvard for an MBA.  Plain and simple, my path was not possible without California’s community colleges.”

John Pimentel
SMCCCD Trustee, Area 5

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Education

San Joaquin Delta Community College (AA); University of California, Berkeley (BA); Harvard Business School (MBA)

Career

Co-founder of Foundation Windpower, Sustainable Water Solutions, Panoche Valley Solar, and Pacific Ethanol. Consultant at Bain & Company. CA Deputy Secretary for Transportation. Governor's Higher Education Advisor.

Community Involvement

Board Member at Redwood City Police Activities League, Ravenswood Education Foundation; Menlo Park Housing Commissioner; Coach, Ravenswood and Menlo-Atherton Little Leagues. Former Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Family

Resides in Menlo Park with his wife of 20 years and 3 children.

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John co-founded and managed several businesses in the renewable energy and sustainability field. His companies built over $1 billion in renewable energy infrastructure which annually displaces the CO2 equivalent of removing 100,000 cars from the road. John worked with Bain & Company, a leading strategic management consulting firm.

He was California’s Deputy Secretary for Transportation overseeing Caltrans, Highway Patrol/State Police, and parts of the DMV. He helped manage the rapid freeway rebuilding after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake and was on the Bay Conservation and Development Commission. John served as the Governor’s Higher Education Advisor providing analysis on legislation and budget matters related to UC, CSU, and community colleges. He began government service as an Assembly Fellow.

In the private sector John served on the boards of multiple public and private companies.  In community college he was elected student body president and served on the Board of Trustees. Currently John serves on the boards of the Redwood City Police Activities League, the Ravenswood Education Foundation and the Ravenswood Little League in East Palo Alto.  He is on Menlo Park’s Housing Commission and John serves as an alternate on the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee.

John has been a Mentor at Menlo-Atherton High School, a parent representative at the Castilleja School, a volunteer at Encinal Elementary School, a youth sports coach at Hillview Middle School and Menlo-Atherton Little League, and John was an active “Big Brother.”  John graduated from Harvard Business School, University of California, Berkeley, and San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton. He lives in Menlo Park with his wife of 20 years and 3 children.