Son of a teacher and homemaker, Joel Ventresca, 50, has devoted his life to public service.
Born April 14, 1952 in Evansville, Indiana, he is the grandson of an Italian immigrant who came to America in 1891 and the great grandson of a Gold Rush pioneer who came to San Francisco in 1860.
The fifth oldest in a family of 11 children, Joel has five brothers and five sisters. His father, Dante Linne Ventresca, 82, served in the U.S. Army as a Technical Corporal (1942-46) and educated 10,000 high school students over 24 years in Indianapolis. His mother, Marie Charlotte Rudd Ventresca, 83, graduated from Mundelein College in Chicago in 1941, worked as an editor in a wartime industrial plant that made PT 47 wings (1942-43), and became a devoted wife and mother. Joel’s parents have been married 57 years.
As a small boy, Joel experienced difficulty learning how to read. With remedial education, he learned to read and developed a lifelong love of non-fiction books.
He worked, starting at 16, his way through high school and college as a dishwasher, cook, janitor, gardener, house painter, theater usher, youth counselor, journalist, and assistant librarian. He graduated from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School and earned two degrees (Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Government) from the University of San Francisco. Joel’s Catholic upbringing, that included being an altar boy, and Jesuit training instilled in him the desire to be of service to others and to help those less fortunate. His parents taught him the importance of hard work, perseverance, and honesty.
Joel’s love for San Francisco began at first sight in the summer of 1963 when his father drove the family across the country to Berkeley to attend a University of California institute for teachers. He moved to San Francisco in 1971 and began getting involved in civic improvement organizations in 1972.
In 30 years of unparalleled public service, he has held the positions of City and County of San Francisco Environmental Commissioner (1994-97); President, Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods (1987-89; 1992-94); Director, San Francisco Tomorrow (1985-96); Executive Board Member, SEIU 790 (1991-97); Chair, Committee to Stop the Giveaway (1997-98); Chair, Preserve the Presidio Campaign (1994-present); Assistant to the Executive Director, Children’s Council of San Francisco (1984-86); Chair, San Franciscans for Public Power (1990-01); Chair, Coalition for Lower Utility Bills (2000-01); and Chair, San Franciscan Democratic Club (1980-81).
Joel serves on the board of directors of the Sunset-Parkside Education and Action Committee (SPEAK) and served 18 years on another neighborhood association board of directors.
In 18 years of distinguished local government service, he has held the positions of City and County of San Francisco Airport Commission Warranty Management Program manager (1999-present); pre-construction contracts manager (1989-99); assistant to the Scheduling and Control manager (1987-89); and executive assistant to the department head for the City and County of San Francisco Commission on the Aging (1981-84).
As an award-winning airport manager with 15 years experience, he has helped the San Francisco International Airport, one of the largest airports in the country, become an industry leader in quality of facilities, business operations, safety, and customer service.
In the aviation field, he:
In the aging field, he:
Joel received the 2001 San Francisco Airport Commission Team Recognition Award, the 1997 San Francisco Bay Guardian Local Hero Award, and the 1995 Morgan Heights Homeowners Association Award for contributions to the campaign for a better environment.
Tess Manalo Ventresca, a longtime community activist, and Joel Ventresca married in 1991. He is a stepparent to three children and six grandchildren and has been a District 4 resident and Sunset homeowner since 1994.
As a neighborhood, environmental, and civic leader, Joel Ventresca has changed San Francisco for the better.