In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, MCE is proud to recognize Danville Councilmember David Fong. Dave is a longtime Danville resident and an active member of MCE’s Board of Directors. In addition to his role with MCE, David has served on numerous state and federal government, academic, industry advisory boards and local town commissions. We spoke with him about his commitment to serving the community and his collaboration with MCE.
Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your background?
My wife and I raised our family and have since lived in Danville for 45 years. We’ve benefited from all of the reasons we moved here: a safe community with blue ribbon schools, preserved open space with parks, hiking trails, and sporting fields, and, most importantly, a small-town culture offering vibrant and enrichment events, activities and programs.
I’m a pharmacist with 45 years of retail senior leadership executive experience working for successful Bay Area companies, Longs Drug Stores and Safeway, and now an executive for a start-up healthcare technology company.
What initiatives are you focused on as Town Councilmember in Danville?
I was elected during the start of COVID-19. Now emerging from the pandemic, my goal has been to advocate and promote a balance between bolstering economic growth while protecting and promoting a healthy and safe community, knowing the virus has a history of returning.
Over the past 1.5 years, I continue to work with our Town and community to harness the strengths and assets that have resulted in Danville having a reputation for being one of the most desired towns to live and raise a family, and how best to invest in “building a stronger Danville for today and tomorrow”.
Why did you decide to join MCE’s Board of Directors?
The climate crisis requires all of us to address how best to eliminate fossil fuel greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change and clean energy are important to me. Danville has made, and will continue to deliver, a commitment to clean energy. We as a country and as a local jurisdiction are continuing to evolve to be more climate-friendly, but we need to focus on doing it more quickly and efficiently. As a representative of my community, I would like to explore opportunities to partner with MCE on promoting and delivering more clean, efficient renewable energy products and programs.
What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?
The demographics in Danville have changed over the past 40 years. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders now represent over 20% of the total population. As a town that has embraced, advocated for, and promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion, it is important that we continually educate, highlight, and celebrate the different cultures in our community and that diversity not only enriches our communities, but is also fundamental to the continued growth of this country. As a Chinese American, I am proud that AAPI Heritage Month gives us an opportunity for our communities to celebrate our legacy, cultures, sacrifices, experiences, and contributions.
I believe that when we educate people, we remove barriers between segments of our communities and can better support and partner with each other. It’s important to recognize that there has been a history of discrimination, exploitation, and exclusion against the AAPI community. It’s also equally important to recognize that the AAPI community has been a large contributor to the growth of this country and successes in business, science, education, and sports. This month is an opportunity to highlight those contributions and recognize that diversity not only enriches our communities, but is also fundamental to the American story.
