SCHOOL BOARD
About Ben Avey
Ben Avey is a candidate for Trustee Area 6 on the San Juan Unified School District Board of Education.
Ben is nonprofit leader that has dedicated his career to improving local neighborhoods through public policy, advocacy, and community engagement. After graduating from San Diego State University, Ben launched his career in politics and public policy where he served nearly 1.5 million Californians in the Capitol and District offices of a State Assemblywoman and State Senator.
He met his soon-to-be wife Kyla in 2007 and followed her to Yokosuka, Japan, where she was deployed as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy.
While in Japan, Ben was a civilian Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Navy where he supported the public health crisis response to the 2011 Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster, for which he was awarded the U.S. Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.
Ben and Kyla returned to California with their growing family where he began his career helping underserved people access healthcare and supportive services in community health centers. Seeking solutions to our communities’ biggest challenges, Ben broadened his mission to include homelessness and behavioral health services.
Today, Ben is an executive leader for one of the region’s largest healthcare and social service providers and serves on the Board of Directors for the California Health Center Alliance for Patient Access.
In Fall of 2020, after seeing the devastating impact of school closures on local children, Ben founded the San Juan Parents Association to bring parents together to advocate for the success and well-being of students. He currently serves as President on the Board of Directors.
A lifelong community volunteer, Ben is the President of the Site Council at his children’s school and serves as their representative on the Superintendents Parent Advisory Committee. He is also President of Friends of Camp Sacramento. Ben is past President of the Barrio Logan Association, and past member of Sacramento County Public Health Advisory Board. Ben was a longtime volunteer with the Special Olympics, ACT Games, and social recreation programs for people with disabilities, earning him the Community Service Award in 1998.
Ben is a Fair Oaks native and graduate the San Juan Unified School District, attending Dewey Elementary, Will Rogers Middle, and Del Campo High schools. Ben and Kyla have four children, three of whom are enrolled in their local elementary school and the fourth eager to follow.