Candidate for
Board Member; San Francisco Community College District

Steve's motivation to run for the Community College Board is rooted in his experience as a first-generation college graduate, holding post-graduate degrees in public policy and law. Steve is a civil rights activist and former state budget consultant, a lawyer and former student leader, who is committed to expanding educational opportunities through smart problem-solving and strategic advocacy.

Steve Ngo is an attorney and civil rights activist committed to seeking justice in the courtroom and in the classroom. As the first in his family to attend college, Steve knows firsthand the transformational power of education. He firmly believes in access to higher education and is a staunch advocate for underrepresented communities.

Steve's commitment to civil rights and education is rooted in his family's refugee experience. After fleeing Vietnam for the United States, Steve's mother worked in the service industry as a waitress and nail salon technician in New Orleans, Louisiana. After 20 years, she eventually opened her own nail salon business. His father took jobs as a busboy, roofer, and chef, and later attended community college to become an auto body repair technician. Steve's mother only had a third grade education and his father only completed the eighth grade, but in America they were able to build a better life through hard work and vocational education.

Steve became a lawyer to fight for people like his parents. He has successfully represented individuals in negligence and employment discrimination cases as an attorney at Minami Tamaki LLP, a prominent San Francisco firm known for its civil rights work.

Before becoming an attorney, Steve was a budget consultant for the California State Assembly Budget Committee, where he advised legislators on $3.1 billion worth of spending proposals. He served in state government as a recipient of the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship. He continued his public service as a law clerk for the California Attorney General's Energy Task Force, a specially-formed group that pursued price gouging and other unfair business practices claims against energy companies..

Steve is active in his community. He currently serves as Chair of the Civil Rights Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area and as pro bono general counsel for APIAVote, a national voting rights organization. He is also an active volunteer with API Equality, an organization working for equal marriage rights and fair treatment of the lesbian and gay community. He has actively fought against the proposed ballot measure prohibiting lesbian and gay Californians from marrying. He is the Finance Committee Chair of the Board of Directors for the Southeast Asian Community Center in the Tenderloin and previously served on the Board of Directors for CollegeWorks, an organization that strives to increase college enrollment rates for low-income students.

Steve was also an early supporter of and volunteer for the Support Chinatown Campus Campaign. His advocacy for building a permanent campus in Chinatown was one of the reasons he decided to run for a seat on the San Francisco Community College Board.

Steve was born in Lexington, Kentucky. He received his B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles. He later received his Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University and a law degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.

While in law school at Hastings, Steve was elected Student Body President. He led campaigns against tuition and fee increases, expanded student services, and championed quality of life issues. Peers, administrators, and alumni at Hastings recognized his efforts with numerous awards, including the 2004 Student Leader of the Year Award.

Steve lives in the San Francisco neighborhood of Laurel Heights with his fiancé Tina Lee, a native San Franciscan and Lowell High School and City College Alumna.