President – Fred Sahakian, PhD

Fred SahakianI have been a public sector manager for 20 years and am honored to serve as President of ACMEA. I am devoted to ensuring that our board communicates with our members, holds regular board meetings, promotes transparency, improves our contracts, and fights for the rights  of all our members. United, we can accomplish amazing things!

I have a proven track record of advocating for and improving the lives of union members. As an ACMEA Union Steward, I worked tirelessly on behalf of my colleagues to ensure that they are treated like professionals and that our grievances get addressed, such as the discrepancies in the deep class process. As a former steward of 1199/SEIU, the largest health care union in the United States with 400,00 members, I worked on several successful contract negotiations and represented employees during hearings – I never lost a case. I have seen the amazing opportunities that engaging unions can provide their members and I believe that the ACMEA Board should be a strong advocate for their membership.

As a first generation American, and the child of refugees, I saw how my family sacrificed to make my life better, therefore, I have dedicated my life to improving the lives of others. I began my career teaching children with learning disabilities and later spent several years advocating on behalf of abused and neglected children in foster care. I then moved into public sector management in the court system, where I developed my leadership, project management, and budgeting skills. I joined the Alameda County Probation Department in 2015 as a Management Analyst and promoted to a Probation Specialist in 2018. Throughout my work in Alameda County, I have worked closely with various partners and worked hard to build bridges.

In addition to my professional background, I possess a Bachelors in Family Counseling, a Master’s in Public Administration, and a PhD in Public Policy and Administration. I also volunteer my time as a commissioner on the Juvenile Justice Commission in Contra Costa County. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, watching movies, and traveling with my wife, baby, and dog.