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San José State University

For more than 20 years, the Honorable Rod Diridon Sr. has served the Bay Area in numerous elected positions, from member of the Saratoga City Council to chair of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. He is the only person to chair the Bay Area’s three regional governments: the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Mr. Diridon earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1961 from San José State University as well as his MSBA degree in statistics in 1963. He would go on to chair more than 100 international, national, state and local programs, mostly related to transit and the environment. He was key in founding the Mineta Transportation Institute in 1991 in partnership with the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business at San José State. He served as the transportation policy research center’s executive director from 1993 to 2014 and continues to serve as its emeritus executive director. He frequently provides legislative testimony on sustainability and transportation issues. He is chair emeritus of the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board as well as chair emeritus of the High-Speed and Intercity Rail Committee and co-chair of the U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition.

To honor Mr. Diridon’s lifelong advocacy of public transportation, Santa Clara County renamed its main train station San José Diridon Station upon his retirement from public office. Key highlights of his career include his efforts to establish the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in the 1970s and spearheading the building of its light-rail system.

In recognition of his many career accomplishments and his dedication to public service, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and San José State University are proud to confer upon the Honorable Rod Diridon Sr. the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters.