Today we’d like to introduce you to William Ponder.
William, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a native San Diegan, I was raised in Southeast San Diego. Growing up in San Diego was a challenge. Our community was displaced when the 805 freeway divided the community. I didn’t realize how a freeway could impact a community until I got involved with urban planning and community development later in life.
I was fortunate to have parents who believed in the American dream. We, my sisters and I were provided with the motivation and discipline to succeed. I went to San Diego State University in the late 1960s, graduated and started teaching. I knew then that I could do more and eventually returned to San Diego State University and earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology.
Upon graduation, I was fortunate to get an administrative position at the University of California, Riverside. I was there for almost a decade. I left California for Seattle, Washington and continue my administrative career and started my civic work as a planning commissioner for the city of Olympia, Washington. As a commissioner, I was involved with land use, transportation, smart growth and fiscal policy for future development.
Before the turn of the Century, I had experienced a unique opportunity. I was selected to the management developed program at the Graduate school of education at Harvard. I was one of 250 individuals from around the world to participate in this program and was one of 12 who were admitted on scholarship. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. My first day on campus was something I will never forget.
After completing the program I was hired as the founding Associate Vice President of enrollment at Eastern Washington University. While at Eastern, I was appointed by the Governor to the combined fund of Washington and during my tenure on the board we raised 50 million dollars for Charities in the state of Washington. Also during my tenure at Eastern, I worked with politicians both local, state and federal. Upon my retirement from Eastern, I returned to San Diego to help with the care of my parents.
Also during this time, I became involved with my community. I joined the board of Groundwork San Diego and worked on several projects that focused on education and the environment. I am currently the Vice Chairman of Groundwork San Diego. I got involved with politics in 2012 when I became a candidate for the San Diego unified school district school board. I was not elected but I was appointed to by bond oversight committee and just finished my six-year tenure.
During my tenure on the Independent citizen’s Oversight committee, I met Seph Groce who ran for the San Diego unified school district board of education in 2014. This started a long friendship that has developed into a business partnership. Trifecta political consultant group provides candidates and those seeking public office a full range of services. We are unique in that our focus is on identifying those who are fit for office. You come to us, we access and you decide. The journey of getting to this point in my life has taken me away from San Diego and back. It was all worth it.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think the most significant challenge was understanding that failure is progress. When you fail, you learn. My struggles were many. Often it was a lack of experience. Sometimes it was outward biased, not giving me an opportunity to succeed. A few individuals would put obstacles in front of me, just to see if I was able to overcome them. In some cases, I failed but learned to find my way around or to create a different path.
My experiences are ones in which many struggles with, racism, bias, lack of knowledge about people of color. These challenges are real and they impact individuals every day, from both sides. We need to continue to open our mind to the possibilities of human interaction with no preconceived notions of confirmation bias.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Trifecta political consultant group is a full-service company. We access, engage and strategically identify what strengths candidates have to put them in best possible position to be successful. We provide an assessment of their ability to work on their campaign with a focus on results. We provide social media, assist campaign staff, manage candidate scheduling, research campaign data and information. What sets us apart is our political acumen. We have built that acumen by being able to communicate with a variety of communities in and around San Diego.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
In terms of where the city is regarding businesses, I think its still a work in progress. In some cases, it’s good and people can create with help from the city. However, I think the city should engage those communities where opportunities are still lacking. Providing more support for BID (business improvement district).
Improving the contracting options, doing more business outreach with other agencies in San Diego. Helping the media highlight more businesses in Southeast San Diego. Lastly, the more we can talk about what we can do to support local businesses and engage young people in the process.
Contact Info:
- Address: Trifecta political consultant group
- Website: www.trifectaPoliticalStrategies.com
- Phone: 6193097710
- Email: williamsponder@gmail.com
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