CSUEB grad Willie McDonald starts new role as San Jose fire chief

• August 2, 2010 5:00am

San Jose residents can rest easy knowing that Cal State East Bay alumnus William L. "Willie" McDonald has been selected as their new fire chief.  He earned his master's in business administration from Cal State East Bay.

McDonald, who was previously fire chief in San Mateo, Foster City, Fremont and Scottsdale, Ariz., will start his new role today, August 2.

City Manager Deb Figone said in a statement, "Willie has the experience, knowledge and leadership skills to build a strong relationship with our firefighters while managing the challenging problems that face a large metropolitan fire department during really fiscally challenging times.”

Read the San Jose Mercury News article, “San Jose hires new fire chief from Arizona who has Bay Area ties.”

KL