José began his career at ACME Bread Company, where he advanced to the position of Head Baker and served as a translator and advocate for many of the bakery's Spanish-speaking employees. During his 20's he became involved with Infomed USA, helping organize volunteers and humanitarian shipments of computers and medical supplies to Cuba. These experiences helped shape his leadership skills and deepened his commitment to service, equity, and community engagement.
Since 2002, José has been a Realtor with Red Oak Realty, helping families navigate important life transitions and building expertise in financial oversight, negotiation, project management, and collaborative decision-making. José currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Wright Institute, a graduate school of psychology in Berkeley, where he contributes to institutional governance, financial stewardship, and long-term strategic planning.
José is the father of three grown children in their early twenties, two of whom are NIA House alumni. Throughout his children's school years, he was an active parent volunteer and served on the School Governance Councils at Rosa Parks Elementary and Longfellow Middle School, including terms as chair of both councils. In those roles, he worked alongside parents, educators, and administrators to develop school budgets and make thoughtful decisions about the allocation of resources.
José believes that strong early childhood education provides the foundation for lifelong learning, confidence, and community connection. He would be honored to bring his professional experience, nonprofit governance background, and longstanding commitment to children and families to the preschool's Board of Directors.
