Community Leader José Dueñas, 63

Jun 25, 2015

Posted in Community

By Post Staff

José Dueñas, a highly respected community leader in Oakland, passed away suddenly, Saturday, June 20 at his home. He was 63.

He was known widely as an expert in international trade, business and politics and an inspirational community organizer in Alameda County.

Dueñas served as former administrator of the Port of Oakland, former CEO of the Bay Area World Trade Center and former CEO of the Hispanic Engineers, Builders and Contractors (HEBCo) organization.

Most recently, he was president of the Alameda County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Dueñas strongly backed Desley Brooks’ proposal for a Department of Race and Equity. In a text message earlier this month to Post publisher Paul Cobb, Dueñas wrote that he wanted to work with Cobb “to create a coalition of Latinos and African Americans and Asians to discuss how to deal with the inequities in the county.”

Jose Dueñas

Born and raised in Oakland, Dueñas attended Oakland public schools during the era of the Civil Rights Movement, which he claimed fueled his life’s devotion to public service.

A graduate of Fremont High School, he attended college to study engineering.

His subsequent accomplishments and commitment to serving the Latino community and communities of color in Alameda County have earned him wide praise over the years.

Dueñas’ community involvement started at a young age when he helped organize La Raza Basketball Association in Oakland, which led to him to mentor young Latinos and other youth from underserved communities.

As a leader in Oakland’s international trade arena, he worked to establish the opportunities to put Oakland and the East Bay on the global trade map.

Viewing and rosary services will be held 5 p.m. to 8 p., Monday, June 29 at the Holy Angels Funeral and Cremation Center, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 1051 Harder Road in Hayward.

A mass will be held Tuesday, June 30 at 10 a.m. at St Elizabeth Catholic Church at 1500 34th Ave. in Oakland.

A community celebration will be held at a later date, to be announced. In lieu of flowers, In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Jose Dueñas Memorial Scholarship Fund, payable to the Hispanic Community Affairs Council (HCAC) and mailed to P.O. Box 3151, Hayward, CA  94540.  HCAC is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization, No. 94-2951649.