Building Healthy Communities, Even as Oakland Changes

March 2021

East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation

45 Stories for 45 Years

Contributor: Richard Quach, EBALDC Board Member and former staff

Growing up in Oakland and spending much of my childhood in Chinatown, I always heard of EBALDC but didn’t quite understand what they did. I heard about them when I spent my afternoons at Lincoln Square Park after school and I heard my parents and their friends talk about them over dim sum at Peony Restaurant. They seemed to be involved in everything, but I still didn’t know what exactly they did. 

After I graduated from Skyline High School, I attended UC Berkeley as a Political Science major and Public Policy minor with the goal that I could somehow give back to my hometown of Oakland. After a few years as a social worker, I stumbled upon the real estate development industry and instantly knew it was a great fit for me. I went onto work for a couple of non-profit affordable housing developers in and around Oakland and that is where I heard about EBALDC again. This time people at those non-profits kept saying, “EBALDC always gets the best projects”. That made me want to work for them.

I decided to dedicate myself to real estate, so I attended San Jose State and earned my Masters in Urban Planning. After graduating, I had to decide where to work and luckily there was an open position at EBALDC. My interview with Ener Chiu and Lanetha Oliver was in a room where the walls were completely adorned with awards and history. I remember being humbled and reminded of my past hearing about EBALDC and hoped that I would finally figure out what exactly EBALDC does. Luckily, I was offered the position which I accepted readily and I went on to learn more about EBALDC. During a meeting with a City of Oakland councilmember, she said, “EBALDC does great things”. That made me proud. 

Working at EBALDC gave me a great appreciation for the hard work and dedication of staff.  Being a board member gives me a way to stay rooted with my community and continue to give back to it. EBALDC never wavers from its mission of building healthy communities even as Oakland changes. EBALDC is a micro version of Oakland: adaptive, diverse, resilient, community-focused. Wherever Oakland goes, EBALDC will be a part of it.

As EBALDC marks our 45th anniversary, we will be gathering more stories like this one from our friends, family, community members, partners and more stakeholders that have made our impact possible. We would be honored for you to join us:

  • Follow us on social media: @EBALDC
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