Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Hayward Unified School District

Jeff Cook has served as President of the Hayward Education Community Alliance (HECA), a coalition of teachers, parents and business people that uncovered much of the recent fiscal and adminstrative mismanagement in HUSD, and led the successful movement to remove the former school superintendent.

Jeff and his wife, Judy, have lived in Hayward over 30 years and have raised three children who graduated from HUSD. Jeff has also been an active leader in his church and in Boy Scouts for many years.

For 17 years, Jeff and Judy have been active leaders and volunteers in PTAs, parent clubs and school booster groups. They have dedicated thousands of hours and raised tens of thousands of dollars for Hayward schools. Jeff is also a strong supporter of the arts, and has written several successful grants on behalf of school music programs.

Jeff's desire to serve his fellowman began early. As a young man, Jeff served as a missionary in Latin America for two years at his own expense. He developed a great love and appreciation for Latino, Hispanic and Chicano cultures and language.

Jeff is currently employed as the Manager of Litigation and Transactional Matters for a Fortune 500 company. He is also on the Human Resources Strategic Planning Management Team, and he reports directly to the General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Human Resources. As such, he has extensive interaction with senior management and staff, and has substantial knowledge of all aspects of retail management, e.g., Operations, Human Resources, Finance, etc. Jeff has expertise in contract negotiation, formal and informal dispute resolution, budgeting, business and employment law, and human resources issues.

Jeff also has prior experience in business operations and customer service as a department head of another nationwide retailer.

Jeff was also a Senior Paralegal and Paralegal Manager for a major law firm. He represented and advised Human Resources and Operational management of many large and small business clients in a variety of matters, including litigation, policy and procedure development, union and contract issues.

Jeff has been an active member of several unions, including Retail Clerks International, Clerks and Lumber Handlers, Teamsters, and a Police Officers Association. He has been a steward and an elected representative on the union contract negotiating team.

Thus, Jeff has negotiated business and labor agreements from both sides of the table, and has an honest, balanced, and professional approach. Jeff offers a great deal of business experience and real-world common sense that is critically needed in the HUSD governance team. Indeed, the State Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) has identified HUSD's top priorities as fiscal solvency and effective leadership.