The Orinda Association’s newest board member, Alex Drexel, shown in his home office with an autographed photo of baseball slugger Pete Rose among his certificates and diplomas. When not leading a global team of technology professionals, Drexel enjoys coaching Orinda Youth Sports baseball and spending time with his wife and three sons.
The newest member of The Orinda Association’s board of directors brings a strong sense of business acumen and technology with his undergraduate degree in economics from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the Haas School of Business.
Alex Drexel is an executive at a large software company leading a global team of technology professionals. Despite his busy schedule, Drexel has a strong sense of civic duty and believes it’s important to find time to be active in his local community.
When living in Oakland, Drexel contacted then Mayor Ron Dellums and found himself on the Civil Service Board, becoming part of a team who adjudicated disputes and disciplinary items between the city of Oakland and the Civil Service.
“It was very interesting and I met people I never would have met in my business career,” said Drexel.
Ten years ago, Drexel and his wife Colette, a CPA, moved to Orinda and he once again reached out. This time, he ended up on the Orinda Parks and Recreation Commission.
“I’ve been on the commission for five years and it’s been a great experience. My kids are fully immersed in Parks and Rec programs, so I’ve been able to give the commission personal feedback,” said Drexel. “The Parks and Rec staff is fantastic, very high functioning. We’re lucky to have them.”
Drexel credits COVID-19 for stopping his daily commute to San Francisco. He now works remotely three days a week with two days at his office, which relocated to San Ramon.
“I can’t imagine driving into the City every day again” he said. “I have more time with my family and to volunteer in the community.”
Drexel and Colette have three sons, 9-year-old William and 7-year-old Thomas, both at Wagner Ranch, as well as 4-year-old John at St. Mark’s Preschool.
“Both older boys play baseball and I’m coaching Thomas’ OYS (Orinda Youth Sports) team,” said Drexel. “One of the biggest perks of coaching is getting to choose where we have pizza night.”
Alex ran for the Orinda City Council last November. While he didn’t win, he acknowledges it as a “fantastic” experience.
“It beat my expectations in terms of a growth opportunity. I grew closer to Orinda with that election,” Drexel said. “Talking to all the people across Orinda and understanding their concerns was like pouring Miracle-Gro on my roots here. I learned to appreciate Orinda in more ways than I could have imagined.”
When the opportunity to be on The OA board came, Drexel decided to “continue the journey and become even more connected to the community and meet more people.”
Drexel looks forward to helping with several OA programs including September’s Classic Car Show, which raises funds for the Seniors Around Town transportation program. He’ll be entering his 1978 Porsche 911 SC in the show, a car he bought from his dad’s college friend over 20 years ago.
Sally Hogarty can be reached at sallyhogarty@gmail.com.
