JOE TRAPP is a past MGO President (2001-2002), a politically a “middle-of-the-road” Bay Area liberal, believing in the free debate of ideas, where all sides and all issues are listened to and evaluated with an open mind. Joe has been active in my local community, especially with Oak Glen Park, where he has worked with his neighbors in making the Park more clean, safe, as well as more natural, as they continue to replant California native plants around Glen Echo creek which runs through the park. Joe received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and I currently work as a Civil Engineer for the Port of Oakland. Joe is currently the Acting MGO President and has been nominated as President of the Club.
RALPH KANZ has lived his entire life in the Bay Area. He was born and raised in Palo Alto, and lived the last 30 years in Oakland. His mother’s family moved to a home on MacArthur Boulevard in 1896, and his father, the son of German immigrants, lived for several years in East Oakland. Ralph’s wife Martha and Ralph own a home in East Oakland that they share with two dogs, both products of the Oakland Animal Shelter. Martha and Ralph volunteer regularly with German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California. After many years operating a commercial fishing business, Ralph now works for the Alameda Creek Alliance where he was involved in negotiating conservation agreements with the Oliver deSilva Company for the Sunol Valley and Apperson Ridge. He served a term on, and for one year chaired, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission and has participated in local political campaigns. Ralph looks forward to expanding the base of MGO and making it an important voice in the City of Oakland. Ralph has been nominated for Vice President of the Club.
STEVEN STATLER was born in Findlay, Ohio, and grew up in Ohio and Indiana, and graduated from The Ohio State University as Business Major. He Served in US Navy as a Supply Corps Officer, worked in retail and electronics distribution management, and for the Social Security Administration. Steven currently works as an advocate with Mental Health Association of Alameda County. Steven also has been the Club Treasurer for several years, and Steven has been re-nominated for Club Treasurer.
HOWARD EGERMAN is a lifelong Bay Area resident; Vice President Health and Safety for Local 3l72 American Federation of Government Employees which represents Social Security workers in Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada; Health and safety representative for all Social Security employees nationally. Delegate to Alameda County Central Labor Council and serves as the Council’s Sergeant at Arms. Howard lives in Oakland with wife Diane, who is also a club member. Howard is a member of the County Committee.
GARY SIRBU is an MGO past president. He grew up in San Francisco and attended Lowell High School, then attended Cal, receiving an A.B. in anthropology and later a law degree from Boalt Hall. After graduating from law school, Gary worked for several years as an Alameda County Assistant Public Defender, co-founding the Alameda County Public Defenders Association, which functioned as a union. He then entered private practice. For Gary, MGO has maintained a significant record of achievement for over fifty years, including a commitment to fight for accountability and transparency in local government. “I feel fortunate to be actively involved in the club. I also currently chair an MGO-initiated coalition of organizations known as the Proposition 13 Reform Task Force (www.prop13reformtaskforce.org.)”
GUY A. BRYANT is a partner in the law firm of Bryant & Brown, P.C. Mr. Bryant’s principal areas of specialty are Education Law, Public Agency, Business, and Labor Law. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law in 1988, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut in 1985. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1990. He is currently a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco, Alameda County Bar Association, Los Angeles Bar Association, Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), the Charles Houston Bar Association, Oakland Chamber of Commerce, and is the treasurer of the Alameda County Democratic Lawyers Club. Mr. Bryant is often a guest lecturer in the field of Education Law and he is currently an adjunct law professor at Argosy University.
JUDY COX has been president of MGO for the last three years. Prior to that, she was co-president of League of Women Voters of Oakland for three years, during which time the LWVO worked to get the limited charter review on strong mayor, after defeating Jerry Brown’s attempt to make the strong mayor trial period sunset and the original strong mayor proposal permanent. She also was one of seven people who put instant runoff voting on the Oakland ballot in 2006, and managed and ran the campaign to successful completion. She is a retired training and organization development consultant, specializing in team building and management development. She is also a member of National Women’s Political Caucus, Common Cause, Wellstone Dem. Club, and is co-chair of the East Bay Working Group for Clean Money Elections.
CHRISTOPHER DOBBINS is a third-generation Oakland teacher (his grandfather taught at Castlemont during the 30′s and his mother taught 29 years in Oakland!). Chris taught over a ten year period at a few different Oakland middle schools.) He is in his fourth year on the Oakland Board of Education, representing District 6 in East Oakland. He currently works for the Bay Area Defense Associates. Chris is an Eagle Scout, a member of St. Paschal’s Church, and he founded a non-profit, The Green Stampede, which does after-school tutoring at the Oakland Coliseum and is sponsored by the Oakland A’s. On the school board, he serves as Chairman of the Facilities Committee, member of the Teaching and Learning Committee and Rules and Ethics Committee, as well as Board Representative to the Chabot Space and Science Center, and to the Oakland Athletic League (OAL) Policy Committee.
DAN KALB is the California Policy Manager for the Union of Concerned Scientists, Dan works with state legislators, agency officials, civic leaders, environmental groups and others to craft legislation promoting renewable energy, clean transportation and global warming solutions in California. Dan has appeared on the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and has been quoted in the L.A. Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and the San Jose Mercury News, among other publications, on selected environmental issues. Immediately prior to his tenure at UCS, Dan worked on regional issues for the Sierra Club. Dan was a board member on the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Metropolitan Bay Area for eight years. Dan also serves as a delegate to the California Democratic Party State Convention from the 14th A.D. He received his Baccalaureate of Science degree in Conservation of Natural Resources from the U.C. Berkeley, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco. He also serves on the Board of the League of Conservation Voters of the East Bay.
WAYNE NISHIOKA has been on the Board of MGO since around 2006. Wayne believes that MGO has a long established reputation for taking on tough issues in Oakland and forging a positive progressive direction for the area. Wayne is an elected delegate to the 16th AD for the California Democratic Party and has been honored to serve in that capacity for more than five years. He has enjoyed moving various progressive issues forward with his fellow delegates from the 14th and 16th ADs, including the election of Hilary Crosby to take care of the CDP’s finances and the election of Karen Bernal to head the Women’s Caucus. He has represented MGO at special 16th AD County Central Committee meetings which brought together its delegates, CCC members, and chairs of various democratic clubs. Wayne is also on the Board of the API Democratic Caucus of Alameda County. He has been on the MGO Board around seven years and hopes to continue to make a contribution in the coming year.
IRIS WINOGROND. After a long career in teaching social policy and health issues in public education followed by 10 years in private psychology practice in Milwaukee WI, Iris retired and moved to northern California in 1995 with her husband. Her community activism is focused on the League of Women Voters, Montera Middle School, and Adams Point Action Council. She has served several years as President of the Board of Directors of Family Paths, a mental health agency, and currently serves on the Huskey Study Group for Juvenile Justice Reform
