Rob Jung has just announced his run for a seat on the Milpitas Unified School District’s (MUSD) Board of Education.
A parent of two Milpitas High School graduates, Jung has been a resident of Milpitas for nearly three decades. During that time, he has served the community in a multitude of capacities, utilizing his skills and passion toward the betterment of others.
“At the end of the day, what’s important to me is community,” said Jung. “All the things I do are all centered around [the question of] how do I help the community?”
Talking to Jung, there’s no question that his dedication to serving others runs deep. He’s known for cooking up various events, projects, and missions in accordance with community needs. He is the epitome of someone who “walks the walk,” and seems to thrive on collaborating with others to get things done.
Back in 2009, Jung founded the Milpitas Community Educational Endowment (MCEE), a nonprofit that raises funds to provide educational opportunities throughout the district. MCEE has given out grants to help fund programs and initiatives at MUSD.
“In 2008, we had that huge financial crisis,” said Jung. “Budgets in schools were cut. So in 2009, we decided that one of the things we could do to help the district was start a foundation.”
Most recently, last October, MCEE contributed a $5,000 grant to Randall Middle School’s music program, for the purchase of instruments for families who couldn’t afford them. The organization also gives out yearly scholarships and hosts events like the annual STEAM showcase.
In addition, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jung banded together with other residents to start tackling the issue of homelessness in Milpitas. The organization Hope 4 the Unhoused (founded by Lisa Moreno) was formed to provide direct outreach to unhoused residents. They currently deliver 180 meals a week to unhoused residents across the community, and have also helped a couple people get off the streets and into jobs and housing. Jung currently serves as the organization’s Board President.
“Going through my experience working with the homeless, understanding what we could’ve done differently to prevent these folks from getting there, all of it revolves around education and opportunity,” said Jung. “If I am making a contribution to how we improve the community…the root of everything is education. Education provides opportunities. And it’s time we make a bigger dent in education.”
Jung’s affinity for education started back when he and his wife’s son was in elementary school. Initially, they enrolled the child in private school, but they then realized they couldn’t see a difference in quality between what private school and public school had to offer. So they enrolled their son in Sinnott Elementary, and so began Jung’s journey into the world of PTAs.
He spent 18 years serving on various PTAs in a variety of leadership roles, including president. He has also served for over a decade on School Site Councils.
Jung feels that his experience in education makes him an outstanding candidate for the role of Trustee on MUSD’s Board of Education. From 2016-2018, Jung actually served two years as Trustee; he was appointed to fill Bob Nuñez’s school board seat after Nuñez won a seat on the Milpitas City Council.
Amidst all the work he does serving the community, Jung is also a Managing Partner for a private investment firm that he manages with two others.
And along with the experience he offers, Jung feels he also brings the right combination of vision and proven solutions to help move Milpitas education forward.
“I want to create situations where we can say that our school district is able to graduate young people who are passionate about who they want to be and how they’re going to change the world,” said Jung. “And they’re able to pursue what they want to, through the different pathways we offer. At the end of the day, that’s what I want.”
Jung will be running for one of three open school board seats this November.
The seats of Board President Kelly Yip-Chuan, Board Vice President Chris Norwood, and Board Trustee Michael Tsai will be up for grabs this year; these three Board Members have yet to announce whether or not they will be running for re-election. Meanwhile, at press time, no one else in the community has announced their candidacy for MUSD School Board.
I’ve known and collaborated with Rob Jung for many years. I see him as someone who is very proactive – if he see’s a problem he wants to try to solve it – or at least be a piece of the solution. He is very good at collaborating with others to increase impact. This is the kind of person we need representing us at all levels of government. While he is very knowledgeable and capable, he is willing to listen and take other opinions into account. I hope he is successful in his run for school board!