The newest member of the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners, Ms. Gilda Gonzales, was sworn in recently. Ms. Gilda Gonzales will be serving the remaining term formerly held by Mark McClure (7/2009 - 7/2012). Commissioner Gonzales is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Unity Council and has a significant history of public service. She has held many positions within city government, including Chief of Staff to former Oakland, CA, Mayor Jerry Brown and Oakland City Manager Robert Bobb.
Port Board President Victor Uno said, “All the Port Commissioners are looking forward to working with Commissioner Gonzales. Her public service experience with municipal financing, public policy and economic development will be a welcome addition to our board.” Port Commissioners are nominated by the mayor of Oakland, appointed by a vote of the city council and serve four-year staggered terms without compensation.
In 1987, Ms. Gonzales was selected as a California State Assembly Fellow working in the State Legislature. Following her fellowship program, she worked on numerous state and national political campaigns, and then returned to the State Assembly as a legislative aide. In 1991, she began her career in Oakland City Hall, serving as policy analyst to former Mayor Elihu Harris. During her fourteen-year career with the City, she gained experience in municipal financing and budgeting, public policy, economic development and government relations. She served in many capacities from Budget Analyst, Special Assistant to the Finance Agency Director, and Intergovernmental Affairs Director.
In the fall of 2004, Ms. Gonzales was named the Chief Executive Officer for the Unity Council. The Unity Council is a forty-five year old organization comprised of 245 employees with an $18M annual budget and $75M in assets. It is a non-profit, community development corporation committed to enriching the quality of life of families and individuals primarily in the Fruitvale District of Oakland. Its mission is to help individuals and families build wealth and assets by implementing and managing comprehensive programs addressing economic, social, and neighborhood development. Commissioner Gonzales serves on the Alameda County First Five Commission, Oakland Unified School District Audit Committee, State Farm Bank National CRA Advisory Board, Bay Area Council Economic Institute Board of Trustees, and the Oakland Central City East Redevelopment Project Area Committee.
Gilda Gonzales stated, “It is an honor and a privilege to be joining the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners. I am both humbled and excited by this opportunity. This is another way for me to extend my commitment to public service that benefits not only our community but our region as well.”
Originally from Atwater in the Central Valley, Ms. Gonzales attended St. Mary’s College (Moraga, CA) and received a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Psychology. She holds a Master’s of Public Administration from California State University at Hayward. She and her husband, Ken Wysocki, reside in Oakland.
