Joel Young is the AC Transit Director-at-Large, representing 13 cities in Alameda and Contra Costa County.
Joel Young
After graduating with a law degree at Cal, Joel Young worked for four years at prestigious law firms helping to launch some of the Bay area’s most successful start-ups. When the Great Recession hit in 2008, Joel Young, whose parents were lifelong public servants, decided to enter public service.
At the time, Joel Young was the youngest African-American to serve on the AC Transit Board. At AC Transit, Young advocated for a Buy America policy that will steer hundreds of millions of dollars to local businesses over the next decade. He ran workshops explaining to small business owners how to contract with the agency. Young supported a Climate Action plan that will serve as a blueprint for the agency as it seeks to reduce its carbon footprint. He spearheaded the Freedom Bus Project, which aims to promote public transit, arts education, and the history of the civil rights movement.
Joel Young is deeply involved in the local community as an active member of the Alameda Democratic Lawyer’s Club, the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, the Black Elected Officials and Faith Based Leaders of the East Bay, and the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Inc. Joel Young also helped start the Oakland Green Business Incubator Project, which seeks to connect local entrepreneurs with venture capital networks and business development experts.
