Anna Yeung Mayo is a retired information technology developer and consultant for the California Department of Consumer Affairs, where she enjoyed nearly two decades of service before stepping down in 2021. Ms. Mayo’s interest in programming and information technology came through a chance encounter with a door-to-door salesperson, who told her that she would never become a programmer after initially pitching her a technology training course. Committed to proving them wrong and breaking through in a traditionally male-dominated field, Ms. Mayo decided to pursue her interest and education in information technology.
Ms. Mayo began her career as a medic for the United States Air Force, where she served proudly for 20 years, including a special assignment during Operation Desert Storm in 1992. During her time in the military, she established the first on-base medical library at Mather Air Force Base, a project that was recognized with an honorable plaque from the Department of the Army. Between 1995 and 1999, Ms. Mayo worked with the United States Department of Defense’s Court of Engineers at McClellan Air Force Base on a number of logistics projects, including early efforts to move base closure awards to a computer-based system. She was again honored by the United States military for her contributions with a 1997 Voluntary Bureau Special Award and was also the recipient of a Special Suggestion Award from McClellan Air Force Base that earned more than $25,000 in project workforce funds.
In 2003, Ms. Mayo joined the California Department of Consumer Affairs. During her tenure with the department, she acted as webmaster for the information technology reclassification bargaining team and held leadership positions in internal committees, including the Service Employees International Union state bargaining advisory committee. In addition to these roles, Ms. Mayo was elected District Labor Council president and a delegate to several regional and international councils.
Outside her work in technology, Ms. Mayo is a multi-instrumentalist, arts patron and producer, and performing artist who has been an active video professional since 1988. A shy child, she began playing violin as a form of personal expression with the encouragement of her parents and teachers, and she has continued to hone her musical skills as an adult. Ms. Mayo is the producer of the long-running Finest Asian Music Festival, a co-sponsor of the first East/West Music Program in conjunction with the Sacramento Symphony, and a lifelong champion of both contemporary and traditional Asian music and arts. As a videographer, she has produced broadcasts for numerous outlets, including Asian News, the Sacramento Bee and World Journal. As a significant figure in the regional art community, Ms. Mayo has served as a jurist and presenter for grants and awards recognizing achievers in classical and folk dance, opera, and traditional Asian instrumental music.
Ms. Mayo holds a Bachelor of Arts from San Francisco State University, a Master of Arts in Asian art from the University of the Pacific, and is pursuing doctoral coursework in counseling psychology. She cites her father, a former Air Force pilot and colonel and a prolific painter, as her inspiration for her work in the arts, and hopes to create a music or dance performance work based on her parents in the future. Ms. Mayo currently serves as a California State Retirees delegate and tutors students in math, language arts, and computer skills at the K-12 level. Furthermore, she is an active volunteer for numerous community groups and initiatives, including political causes, arts and education groups, and nonprofits, and contributes her videography skills to her local church.