Miguel Arias is a community leader with extensive senior executive, public policy, advocacy, and communications experience. Miguel spent his youth as a farmworker on the west side of Fresno, working to pay his college tuition and learning first-hand the value of hard work. His determination guided him from the fields to the halls of Congress, where he served Central Valley families as a legislative aide to Congressman Cal Dooley.  Due to the devastating drought in 2004, Miguel returned to Fresno to lead emergency relief efforts, repurpose retired farmland for new schools and parks and advocate for more water storage and safer drinking water.

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As College Trustee, Miguel diversified and expanded access to the nursing program, police and fire academies, and career technical education. During his tenure as an educational leader, he helped secure $1 Billion to build new schools and colleges including Bud Gaston Jr. Middle School, Westside Institute of Technology, and two new Fresno City College Campuses in southeast Fresno and West Fresno. 

Miguel’s efforts have earned him numerous recognitions including the Educator of the Year award by the Association of California School Administrators; the Golden Bell Award from the California School Board Association; the Community Leadership Award from Centro La Familia; and Community Leadership Award from the Fresno Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Committee.

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Since November 2018, Miguel has represented the City of Fresno District 3, which serves Downtown, Tower District, West Fresno, and Central Unified communities. 

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As a Council Member, he secured more than $2 Billion in resources to rebuild neighborhoods in his district, initiated 28 new affordable and market rate housing projects, housed thousands of homeless residents by transforming Motel Drive, and funded a record level of new firefighters and police officers.   

Miguel and his family live in the historic Tower District neighborhood.