Alan Wong serves as the President of the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of the Free City College Oversight Committee. He is also the policy director for the Children's Council of San Francisco and a First Lieutenant in the National Guard.

 

City College has played a pivotal role in Alan's life and the lives of his family for decades. Now, he is eager to give back to the institution that has given him so much. Alan is running for the City College Board because he believes in a City College that creates opportunities for all San Franciscans.

 

Early Life and Education

Alan’s journey with City College began when his father immigrated to San Francisco. After being laid off from his factory job, Alan's father enrolled in English classes at City College to improve his language skills and job prospects. He then joined the culinary program, which led to a successful career as a Local 2 union hotel cook. The wages and healthcare benefits allowed Alan's father to support his family, enabling them to rent modest in-law units in the Sunset District.

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Born and raised in San Francisco, Alan attended Hoover Middle School and Lincoln High School. While a student in the San Francisco Unified School District, he served on the SFUSD Student Advisory Council for two years and as Student Delegate to the San Francisco Board of Education for two terms. As a teenager, Alan took free City College classes through a low-income tuition waiver, earning credits that helped him graduate from U.C. San Diego with a bachelor's degree at just 19 years old.

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Career and Public Service

After college, Alan dedicated his life to public service. As a union organizer, he championed initiatives to raise California's minimum wage and protect jobs from outsourcing. As a fifteen-year veteran and lieutenant in the National Guard, he has been deployed multiple times to provide disaster relief and security during California wildfires.

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In 2019, as an education policy advisor at City Hall, Alan drafted legislation that provides a decade of 'Free City College' for all San Franciscans. He also coordinated a partnership between City College, the SFUSD, and local organizations to expand City College classes for high school students, increasing their academic success and opportunities.

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Priorities as Trustee

Since his election to the Board of Trustees in 2020, Alan has focused on fiscal oversight, job training, and improving student success. He achieved a balanced budget with five percent reserves and proposed reforms to the college budget policy, including multi-year planning, mandatory monthly updates, and two-thirds trustee approval before using reserve funds. As Co-Chair of the Free City College Oversight Committee, he successfully advocated for City Hall to provide $2.1 million to eliminate student debt and open City College's doors to more students.

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Leadership and Vision

In both 2023 and 2024, Alan was elected as the City College Board President for two consecutive terms. In his current role as policy director for Children’s Council, he advocates for child care and to ensure that every child in San Francisco has the opportunity to reach their full potential. With a comprehensive policy background in child care, K-12, and higher education, Alan aims to support the success of young San Franciscans from birth to adulthood.

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Alan’s extensive experience in government leadership, strong connections to the San Francisco educational community, and unwavering belief in City College’s mission make him the ideal choice for the City College Board.

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