Rick L. Callender
NAACP board of directors member, Rick L. Callender has served on the Resolutions Committee for more than 20 years. He also serves as president of the California/Hawaii NAACP State Conferences, which boasts 74 branches and youth units. From 2000 to 2008, Callender served as president of the San Jose-Silicon Valley NAACP branch.
I hope to help us to build our membership and support our youth and college members to be ready to take over the movement. The NAACP has to make sure we are growing those behind us!
Callender is the Chief Executive Officer of Valley Water where he oversees an integrated water resources system that includes the supply of clean, safe water; flood protection; and environmental stewardship of waterways for Santa Clara County's 1.9 million residents.
He has worked for Valley Water since 1996, serving most recently as the Chief of External Affairs. As the CEA, he led Valley Water's efforts in strategic external communications to the media, community, and the public. Rick also oversaw all government relations efforts on local, regional, state, and federal levels and public policies that directly affect Valley Water.
Prior to joining the district, Callender worked as a Special Assistant to former City of San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer. He also served as a Field Campaign Organizer for the California Democratic Party, Congressional Fellow for the United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Energy, and as a Congressional Fellow to Congressman Ronald V. Dellums.
Growing up in San Jose, Callender earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Technology with an emphasis in electronic and computer technology from California State University, Chico. He completed all coursework for his Master of Arts in Public Administration from San Jose State University, earned his Juris Doctorate from Northwestern California University School of Law, and is a member of the California State Bar. Callender also attended and graduated from eight executive leadership programs at different universities throughout the nation.
In the Media
NAACP Statement on the Whitewashing of Slavery in the National Park Service’s Historical Reinterpretations
The NAACP condemns the growing attempts to whitewash American chattel slavery from the nation's public memory — efforts that are reportedly unfolding within the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service's reinterpretation of historic sites. This is not just historical revisionism — it is an assault on truth, a disservice to justice, and an insult to generations of Black Americans whose lives, labor, and legacies built this nation.
NAACP Opposes Trump’s Recent Attempts to Whitewash American History
The NAACP strongly opposes President Donald Trump's recent executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." This directive seeks to eliminate what the administration inaccurately terms "divisive, race-centered ideology" from institutions like the Smithsonian, aiming to change the narrative of our nation's history.