Candidate for
Board Member; Ohlone Community College District; Area 2

Garrett Yee is a long-time local resident of the Tri-Cities area. He has lived in Fremont for over 40 years, Newark for two years, and Union City for almost a year. Garrett has a rich history of community service and results. At every stage in his life, Garrett has participated in a number of local community organizations where he has made a difference. Garrett is a local leader committed to public service with a deep sense of community responsibility.

In 2002, Garrett was elected to the Ohlone College Board of Trustees and in 2006, he was re-elected to a second term. The son of a teacher, Garrett understands the importance of education. As a member of the College Board, Garrett has been an advocate for higher education. During his tenure as the Board Chair, he helped to address critical issues to improve overall effectiveness for student learning. He strongly supported the responsible construction of a LEED Platinum certified campus in Newark and a projected LEED Gold student center on the Fremont campus. He is commonly known as the "voice of reason" on the board and is seen as a strong advocate by faculty and students alike.

Garrett is proud to serve our country as a Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. He is one of few individuals across our country that holds a locally elected office and has served with the military in Iraq. Commissioned through the ROTC program at Santa Clara University in 1987, Garrett was first called to active duty in 2003 to serve as a Plans Officer in support of the Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2005, Garrett was again called to active duty to serve as the Battalion Commander of a logistics support battalion. In 2006, Garrett was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

For the past 23 years, Garrett has served our country and our community. Garrett has served as President of Citizens for Better Community, a local service organization; District Chairman for the Boy Scouts of America, which represents over 1500 youth members; Chair of the Fremont Library Advisory Commission; and President of the South Bay Chinese Club of Southern Alameda County. He has been recognized locally and nationally for his service. The Argus newspaper named Garrett as one of "10 People to Watch in 2003"; Citizens for Better Community named him the "Citizen of the Year" in 2005; the Wall Street Journal featured Garrett and his family for their patriotism in 2006; the Boy Scouts of America named him "Scouter of the Year" in 2007; the Indo American Community Federation named him "Citizen of the Year" in 2007; the Asian American Federation of California honored him with the Award for Outstanding Public Service in 2010; and the Fremont Bulletin & The Argus awarded him the 2010 Readers Choice BEST of Fremont Best Elected Official. In September, he was recognized as the 2010 Montessori Community Honoree by the Alsion Montessori Foundation in Fremont.

A dedicated family man, Garrett met his wife, Maria Vera-Yee, while attending Kennedy High School in Fremont. They have been married for over 24 years and have three wonderful children that are the product of Fremont public schools.

Garrett holds a bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University, an MBA from Golden Gate University, and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.