Alex Pader, Neighbor

Alex Pader moved to Napa in 1991 and started attending Vichy Elementary and graduated from New Technology High School in 2004. After high school Alex attended Silver State Helicopter Academy. It was after Silver State that he knew politics was his real passion and began going to Napa Valley College fulltime. After gaining an A.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Napa Valley College, Alex transferred to California State University Sacramento and completed a B.A. in Government in the summer of 2011.  

        Beyond a formal education in Government, Alex has practical experience on political campaigns on the local, state and national levels. Alex has sat on Napa County advisory committees and played a significant role in creating state education policy. Alex's experience in leadership began in the Boy Scouts and was proven when he became an Eagle Scout.

        Alex’s experience in student government started at Napa Valley College but, over the course of 3 and ½ years of increasing responsibility and commitment, he served as the President of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC). The SSCCC is responsible for representing 2.6 million students across 112 campuses in the state to California Community Colleges Chancellors Office, the state legislature, the Governors office and the public at large. This gave Alex significant experience in being able to analyze policy, organize at the grassroots level and lobby for students.  

        As the SSCCC President, Alex sponsored and helped draft SB 1440, The Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act. SB 1440 will allow approximately 50,000 additional students to transfer without any additional state revenue, by streamlining a complicated transfer maze. In March 2011 he lead a March of 18,000 UC, CSU and Community College students on the states capital to ask the state legislature to approve Governor Brown’s ballot proposal to balance the budget and help keep an accessible, equitable and quality higher education system in California. As the SSCCC President he also served on the SB 1143 Student Success Taskforce that was charged with creating recommendations that will increase completion rates. Alex is currently employed as the Project Director for the Student Advocacy Corps that advocates for legislation that will implement the Student Success Taskforce recommendations.

        Serving on Napa County’s Watershed Information Center and Conservatory Committee allowed Alex the opportunity to have first hand experience in how local, regional, state and federal agencies need to work together to achieve a common goal. It is our responsibility to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy Napa’s open spaces.

        Like many Napans, Alex spent most of his adult life working in hospitality and fine dinning. This experience gives him an advantage in understanding the complexities of Napa’s largest sector of the economy and into how to better understand the needs of those that work in the wine and hospitality industry. As an Eagle Scout Alex learned just how important our youth outdoors and community is. He is still actively involved in Scouting today.