Marita Cheng

A Fairview District resident for over 30 years, Marita Cheng is co-founder of the Hayward- Yixing Sister City Committee and Asian Business Alliance. She is a member of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association, Hayward Chamber of Commerce, and Hayward Rotary. She is the highly successful owner of two businesses, Caesar’s Chicken and Elite Catering, and is the food service operator at SkyWest Golf Course and Mission Hills Golf Course in Hayward. Marita gives back to the community by volunteering her time and services to local non-profit organizations.

Hon. Pat Gacoscos

The Honorable Pat D. Gacoscos is a Union City Council Member. Previously, she held two other elective positions: Trustee for the New Haven Unified School District (1992- 2000) and Director of the Union Sanitary District (2004-2010). She also served on the Human Relations Commissions for the County of Alameda and for Union City. Council Member Gacoscos chairs the Union City Sister Cities program and is an active member of various community organizations. In 2011 she was named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipino Women in United States. She taught in Manila public schools and was a research analyst for the California Department of Public Health. She is retired and happily at work in her new role of grandmother.

Dr. Hal Gin

Longtime San Lorenzo resident Dr. Hal Gin brings more than 40 years of higher education leadership and administrative experience including over 30 years service as an administrator with California State University East Bay. Since retirement in 2005, he has been a trustee with the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. Dr. Gin’s community service includes active membership in West County Board of Zoning Adjustments, Lions Clubs International, Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs, Asian Business Alliance, Wa Sung Community Service Club. He is also involved in leadership positions with his own family association, the Gin Sun Hall Benevolent Association, Hoy-Sun Ning Yung, and Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Associations. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology/social services, master’s degree in public administration, and doctorate in organization and leadership.

Melinda Matsuda

In her forty-year career at Chabot College, Melinda Matsuda held increasingly responsible positions. Personally committed to student access and equity, she culminated her time at the college as Vice President for Student Services, a position she held for 12 years. Melinda grew up in the Hayward, attended local public schools, and went on to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University Hayward, as it was then called. She served as a commissioner for the City of Hayward, and was a board member for numerous community groups including Sun Gallery, SAVE, and Tri-CED Community Recycling.

Mark Salinas

Mark Salinas is a Hayward native and currently serves as Hayward City Mayor. After graduating from Hayward High School, he attended Chabot College, and transferred to San Francisco State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in La Raza studies, as well as a master’s degree in educational administration and public policy. Mark works for California State University, East Bay as the Community Resident Engagement Specialist for the Hayward Promise Neighborhood initiative. He teaches history and ethnic studies at Chabot College and is also the Executive Director of The Kids’ Breakfast Club.

Olga Rosales Salinas

Olga Rosales Salinas is an editor and freelance writer. As the Managing Editor for San Francisco Bay Area Moms, she hosts a podcast called Hella MomVersations. Her bylines have appeared in palabra by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Voices of Monterey Bay (VOMB), Jumble & Flow, and others. Birch Bench Press published her debut collection of poetry and prose, La Llorona, in 2021. In 2019 her philanthropy and activism began with a non-profit benefiting first-generation and immigrant students, The Rosales Sisters' Scholarship. As the President and Co-Founder of The Rosales Sisters' Scholarship, the organization has supported 32 students on their road to college on the central coast of California and in the Bay Area.

Dr. Jamal A. Cooks

Jamal A. Cooks, Ph.D., was appointed by the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District (CLPCCD) Board of Trustees as Chabot College’s president as of August 1, 2023, becoming Chabot's 10th president.

Dr. Cooks brings over 20 years of teaching, research, and leadership experience to the Chabot College presidency. He has served as vice president of academic services at Chabot since 2022, although he assumed the role on an interim basis in 2021. Prior to community college administration, Dr. Cooks served as a full professor at San Francisco State University, where he was also the associate director for the Educational Leadership doctoral program. Dr. Cooks has taught in the K-12, California State University and community college systems. In 2017, he was the recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English’s Halle Adolescent Literacy Educator Award.

Tim Sbranti, president of the CLPCCD Board of Trustees, described Dr. Cooks as the ideal leader for Chabot. “Jamal Cooks has dedicated his professional life to supporting disadvantaged youth both inside and outside of the classroom,” said Sbranti. “As an educator, researcher, and instructional leader, he is uniquely prepared to understand and respond to the emerging needs of the Chabot College community.”

Originally from East Oakland, Cooks attended Skyline High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political economy of industrial societies from the University of California, Berkeley. He went on to earn a teaching credential in social studies from California State University, Hayward. Dr. Cooks obtained a master’s degree in curriculum development and completed a Ph.D. in language, literacy and culture, both from the University of Michigan.

“Following a national search, Dr. Cooks emerged as the top choice to take the helm as the next president of Chabot College,” stated CLPCCD Chancellor Ronald Gerhard. “His extensive leadership experience in academia and equity work—combined with his deep commitment to making education more accessible—will no doubt allow him to guide our college to new heights.”

An avid believer in programs that support student success, Dr. Cooks co-convened Chabot's Black Excellence Collective. This initiative uses data and a broad network of support services to improve the campus experience for the college’s Black students. Dr. Cooks has published his research on the topics of culturally relevant pedagogy, language and literacy in several journals and books.

“It is an honor to be entrusted with the presidency at Chabot College,” stated Dr. Cooks. “My goal is to build on the strong legacy of this institution and deliver the best learning experience possible to our community, anchored in social justice and equity for our students.”

Dr. Cooks and his wife reside in Oakland, where they are raising their two children.

Obray Van Buren

Obray Van Buren serves as the Fundraising Chair for the Foundation. He grew up in south Hayward, and attended Tennyson High School and Chabot College, during his youth. When not busy with planning and coordinating the Foundation's highly successful annual fall gala, a must-attend event, which is sold out every year, he serves as the Community Enhancement Officer with the United Association of Union Plumbers, Fitters, Welders, and HVAC, Local 342. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for numerous community groups including Tri-CED Community Recycling, the largest not for profit recycling firm in northern California.