About

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Dr. Joel Liu is a first-generation immigrant raised by parents who taught him the values of family, education, and community service from an early age.

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Twenty one years ago, Joel came to the United States with two large pieces of luggage and very little money to pursue his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (EE). After he obtained his Ph.D. at Arizona State University, he worked in aerospace in his early career to design the electrical system of Boeing 787 and military aircrafts.

 

After his wife graduated with her Ph.D. and found a job in the Bay area in 2007, Joel relocated to the Bay area to work at the Pleasanton site of a large global engineering company. Currently, he is an engineering manager, a recognized expert in his profession, and a licensed Professional Engineer in CA and several other states.

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Joel has always been passionate about volunteering and giving back to his community. He has volunteered in the non-profit organization Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA for 17 years, and served in different leadership positions. After finishing his term as Chair of the Board of CIE/USA-SF Chapter in 2017, Joel changed his focus to the local community. He co-founded Tri-Valley Asian Association with other like minded Asian American parents in 2018. The mission of TVAA is to build a bridge for Asian Americans to broaden their community connections.  

 

In the same year, Joel was appointed by then Pleasanton Mayor Jerry Thorne as a member of Committee on Energy and the Environment, where he currently serves as the committee chair. The committee works closely with city staff to advise the City Council on many important topics, such as, water, energy, and the environment. Joel's effort recently helped the committee complete Climate Action Plan (CAP 2.0) which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a goal of 70% reduction below the 1990 levels by 2030, and achieve carbon neutrality per capita by 2045. 

 

Joel is also the Tri-valley representative of the Community Advisory Committee of EBCE (East Bay Community Energy), and serves as the parent representative of the Harvest Park School Site Council.

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His dedication to community service has been continuously recognized by his company. In 2022, he won the company-level award as one of eight employees selected from 90,000 total.

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Joel lives in Pleasanton with his wife, Dongqing, and their two wonderful children, Oryan and Yvonne who are both Pleasanton Seahawks swimmers, and attend Harvest Park Middle schools and Amador High School.

 

MORE about Joel

 

Hobbies: Travel, Skiing, and Swimming (my whole family are good swimmers, with the two kids becoming more competitive, my ranking dropped from second to the fourth)

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Furry Family Member: An English Cream Golden Retriever - Snowball (named given by my son when he first met the eight week Snowball)

 

Park closest to home: equal distance to Hansen Park, Tennis Park, and Del Prado Park

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Volunteer Experiences

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Chair, Committee on Energy and the Environment , City of Pleasanton

 

Member, Community Advisory Committee (CAC) of East Bay Community Energy (EBCE)

 

Parent Member, School Site Council, Harvest Park Middle School

 

Former Chairman of the Board, Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA - San Francisco Chapter

 

Co-founder, Board member, Tri-Valley Asian Association (TVAA), Pleasanton, CA