MY BIO

Ken Yeager is an educator and community leader in Santa Clara County. He currently is Executive Director of the BAYMEC Community Foundation and a political science lecturer at San Jose State University.

Ken Yeager was an elected official for more than 26 years in Santa Clara County. He was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in June of 2006. He served three full terms, leaving office at the end of 2018. 

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Ken previously served six years on the San Jose City Council, first elected in November 2000 and re-elected to a second term in March 2004. Prior to that, Ken served two terms as a Trustee of the San Jose Evergreen Community College District, from 1992-2000.

Ken is committed to the health and well-being of the residents of Santa Clara County. While Supervisor, Ken served as the Chair of the Board of Supervisors’ Health and Hospital Committee. He was also the Chair of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Health and Human Services Committee and a member of the First 5 Commission of Santa Clara County.

He is a strong supporter of public health, with a particular interest in maintaining strong safety net programs. He is also a champion for preventive health measures such as efforts to fight the obesity epidemic. A long-time advocate for expanding parks and trails throughout the County, Ken believes that outdoor spaces provide effective incentives for increasing physical activity.

Ken is a proponent of expanding and improving public transit systems as a means to better the environment and enhance economic productivity. Ken backs the electrification of Caltrain, bringing BART to San Jose, and expanding public transit. As a regional transportation leader, Ken was a member of the Caltrain Joint Powers Authority Board of Directors and Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) board.

Ken is a former member of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Board of Directors. In that role, he served four years as a Governor's appointee representing BAAQMD on the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the statewide agency responsible for reducing air pollution and combating global warming.

Ken earned a B.A. in political science from San Jose State University (SJSU) and an M.A. in sociology and a Ph.D. in education from Stanford University. Prior to his public service career, he taught full time in the Political Science Department at SJSU for 12 years.

Ken has completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, as well as the Ethics in Public Service Program sponsored by the Josephson Institute of Ethics. In 2004, Ken was appointed to chair the San Jose City Council’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Ethics. In his current role, he spearheaded a move to broadcast and archive Board of Supervisors’ meetings online. He has also led recent efforts to provide more transparency in financial reporting for elected officials.

Ken continues to teach the occasional course at San Jose State University, utilizing community involvement and public service experience in the process. He is an avid runner, having completed over 30 marathons and numerous triathlons. Recently, he completed a half dozen obstacle course races. Ken is the first openly gay elected official in Santa Clara County.