Longtime Ward 6 representative brings decades of public service to SMUD leadership
Sacramento, Calif. – SMUD's Board of Directors elected Dave Tamayo as President of the Board, effective January 1, 2026, and running through December 2026. President Tamayo was elected to the SMUD Board in 2014. He represents Ward 6, which includes Meadowview, Oak Park, Parkway, Airport and Valley Hi neighborhoods.
Dave has lived in the Fruitridge Manor neighborhood of south Sacramento since 1989, where he raised his family and has long been active in community affairs. He has led efforts to establish science programs and gardens in local schools, co-founded his neighborhood association, and successfully advocated for public parks, affordable housing, and urban infill.
Dave has served on a number of public boards and commissions, including the South Sacramento Planning Advisory Committee, the Sacramento Parks and Recreation Commission, the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District and the California Structural Pest Control Board. He also has served on the boards of the nonprofit Sacramento Mutual Housing Association, Sacramento County Alliance of Neighborhoods, California Stormwater Quality Association, and the Sacramento Urban Creeks Council.
Environmental Scientist
Dave worked as an environmental scientist for Sacramento County for 30 years. He is recognized as a public policy leader in protecting natural resources by effectively influencing state and federal environmental regulations. He wrote the County storm water pollution ordinance, co-founded the region's River Friendly Landscaping Program, and helped create local, statewide, and national integrated pest management programs.
Dave has also served in an advisory capacity to the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program, US EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, California Department of Pesticide Regulation, and the National Pest Management Association. Prior to working for the county, he owned a wholesale seafood business in San Francisco and was an electrician and a whitewater rafting guide.
Dave holds a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of California, Berkeley and a master's degree in entomology and nematology from the University of Florida, Gainesville. In his spare time, he enjoys birding, gardening, beekeeping, whitewater rafting and kayaking, and learning to speak Spanish.