Meet Gene

金晉 | 김진

Gene is a Bay Meadows resident, the father of two daughters attending San Mateo-Foster City elementary schools, and a proud product of California’s public education system. As a son of working-class immigrants and the first in his family to attend college, Gene understands firsthand how great schools and teachers can transform lives.

Gene began serving on the San Mateo-Foster City School District Board of Trustees in 2023. As a Trustee, he has been committed to strengthening engagement with parents and teachers, improving transparency and accountability, and guiding the District through its innovative initiatives to launch community schools, improve school nutrition, and address lingering achievement gaps.

For nearly two decades, Gene has been a leader in shaping public education policy at the local, state, and federal level. He began his career working on education issues as a legislative aide in the U.S. Congress, helped to pass state and local ballot measures to fund K-12 education and school construction, and served as an advisor to the nation’s largest community college district. Gene is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a J.D. from the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.