John T. Nejedly, a Contra Costa Community College District board member for 22 years, died this past weekend while attending the 47th annual Association of Community College Convention in New Orleans.

Nejedly was elected to the board in 1994 and was serving his sixth consecutive term in office. A San Ramon resident, he represented Ward 4, which includes Blackhawk, Byron, Danville, Diablo, Discovery Bay, San Ramon, and parts of Alamo, Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, and Concord.

Nejedly graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in construction management. Nejedly completed his education at John F. Kennedy University School of Law, where he then received his degree in law. Besides being a member of the California State Bar, Nejedly was a California licensed real estate broker and a licensed general engineering contractor. 

John T. was the son of John A. Nejedly, who was a state senator who represented Contra Costa County from 1969 to 1980. Mary Piepho, sister of Nejedly, is a member of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. Their brother, James (Jim) Nejedly, is a board member of the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District. 

Nejedly is the only Governing Board member to actively participate in the passage of all three district bond campaigns; 2002, 2006, 2014. The bond measures have provided the financial resources to pay for new DVC buildings, such as the Student Services Center, Hospitality Studies and Food Court, and the Book Center.

“His construction background was helpful as the District spent hundreds of millions of dollars implementing the bond-funded construction projects,” wrote Tim Leong, District Director of Communications and Community Relations.

“Mr. Nejedly should be remembered for his 22 years of dedication to the community college mission. His institutional knowledge was very important in the decisions the Governing Board made, as was his consistent and rationale approach to addressing the challenges faced by the colleges and the District,” wrote Leong.

In addition to his brother and sister, Nejedly is survived by his wife and three children.