Richard K. Tanaka, President, Board of Trustees

Richard Tanaka has been a member of the San José/Evergreen Community College District Board of Trustees since 1992. He has previously served the education community as a member of the East Side Union High School Board of Trustees for 21 years, and is a long-time community activist.

During his 13 years on the SJECCD Board, Tanaka has seen many changes at both colleges and within the District itself. “We are in the process of updating our educational programs at San José City College and Evergreen Valley College so that they will have greater relevance for our students. This is the reason of the complete transformation and master plan for San José City College, as well as the completion of facilities at Evergreen Valley College.” Tanaka has a well-defined mission guiding his service on the Board. “I feel education can make a great difference for all individuals. As a board member of the college district, the primary responsibility is to create policies and set directions that will directly benefit our students.”

Tanaka recognizes the cultural diverseness of the students at both San José City and Evergreen Valley Colleges. “All students are different and unique, and come to us from various cultural experiences. At San José/Evergreen Community College District, as well as various surrounding school districts, our students speak nearly 60 different languages.”

Tanaka has served as President of the California Community College Trustees, a statewide organization that represents all elected trustees of the California Community Colleges. He has also served as Vice-President of the California Community College Leagues, an organization representing all 108 community colleges in the state of California. Tanaka also currently serves on the as Board of Governors for the National Conference for Community and Justice, and is a past member of the Board of Governors of the Boy Scouts of America.

In 1972, Tanaka was appointed by the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors as its founding Commissioner of the Human Relations Commission, and in 1975, he was appointed chairman of the San José Bicentennial Commission by Mayor Norman Mineta and the San José City Council. As part of his duties as the Bicentennial chair, Tanaka directed a staff of 30, and was responsible for some 2,200 projects, engaging the participation of 10,000 San Joséans.

Richard Tanaka is a graduate of the University of Michigan, with a bachelor’s degree in architecture, and holds a masters degree in Urban Planning from San José State University. Tanaka is also an author of America on Trial, a book that chronicles the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Today, Tanaka is practicing as Richard K. Tanaka, AIA, APA, architect/planner, consulting on design in architecture and urban places.

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