AUSD Board of Education Trustee Nielsen Tam Dies at Age 69

Information submitted by Alameda Unified School District:

The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) is saddened to announce that Nielsen Tam, an AUSD Board of Education member since 2008, died on Sunday. He was 69 years old.

The recipient of master’s degrees in special education and school administration, Tam dedicated his decades-long career to AUSD schools, students, and employees. In the course of that career he worked as a special education teacher, union grievance officer, and vice principal. In the 1990s, he was hired as an assistant principal at Wood Middle School. After vociferous community debate over the under-representation of people of color in school leadership roles, he became the district’s first Asian principal when he was hired to lead Miller Elementary School.

“Niel faced head on our community’s issue with equity, having experienced inequity himself in his own work,” says Margie Sherratt, a former AUSD board member who also worked as a teacher and principal in Alameda. “He stood not only for what was right for himself, but for those whose presence and voice was not as strong as his. He helped us move forward as a school district and as a community, without looking for his own personal gain, but for the betterment of educating our children. He quietly and with determination changed the face of Alameda Unified. He will be dearly missed.”

Tam was elected to the Board of Education in 2008. He was re-elected in 2012 and served as school board president in 2013.

“A Man with Great Capacity”

Throughout his career, Tam was especially devoted to AUSD’s most vulnerable children, notes Board of Education President Barbara Kahn. “Niel worked tirelessly on behalf of children and the AUSD. He was a pioneer in his concern that we meet the needs of children with special needs and who were English language learners. The district continues to follow his lead in these pursuits.”

Considered a pillar in the community, Tam also took a leadership role in a wide variety of civic organizations, including: the Alameda Multicultural Community Center; the Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth, and their Families; the Alameda Boys and Girls Club; the Alameda Community Fund; Alameda Family Services; the Alameda Point Collaborative; and Girls Inc. He also volunteered for the Alameda Soccer Club, the Alameda Food Bank, the City of Alameda Traffic Commission, and the Alameda Library Strategic Planning Committee.

“Niel Tam was a husband, father, grandfather, brother, and a friend to many,” says Vickie Smith, who manages AUSD’s McKinney-Vento program for homeless students. “He made sure there were opportunities for educational advancement for all students. Niel was an inspiration and force in the development of many community organizations as a boardmember and representative for all people. He was a father to hundreds and an endless friend who was always available with a smile and a helping hand.”

Adds Sherratt, “Anyone who has worked with Niel Tam would describe him in the same way: he was humble, a good listener, a broad and deep thinker, and a man with a great capacity to love and to bring out the best and most positive outcome in any situation. Niel seamlessly crossed all the boundaries of age, gender, education, ethnicity, and economics.”

“A Bright Light”

Because of his deep level of civic engagement and selfless devotion to community, Tam received numerous awards over his career, including the San Francisco Foundation’s Koshland Civic Unity Award for community leadership (2002), a Coro Northern California Community Leadership Program Fellowship (2006), and the American Red Cross Award for Community Service (2008).

This month, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors commended him for his “enduring dedication to Alameda’s youth, commitment to supporting families, and tireless service to the community of Alameda.” Also this month, the Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County honored Tam with a plaque that is engraved with a Chinese character for “bright light” and that recognizes him for “shining a bright light on injustice and showing us how to fight with honor.”

Tam is survived by his wife (Judy), two children (Christopher and Austin), a daughter-in-law (Rose), and four grandchildren (Nathan, Ella, Noelle, and Evan Nielsen).

“Niel was dedicated to protecting and upholding the rights of all people, and he was a champion in the Alameda community,” says Superintendent Sean McPhetridge. “He was dear to us, he loved us, we loved him, and he embodied the loving-kindness and mindfulness to which we all should aspire. We will miss and always be grateful for his mentorship, his modeling, and his deep devotion to the young people of our community.”

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