When it comes to giving back to the community, Darrel Doi is an MVP. When he’s not running his financial consulting business, he serves as the President of the Rotary Club of Benicia, and as a board member for the Benicia Education Foundation. He’s coached youth soccer and basketball for more than ten years, and has always served on the parent-teacher boards for his children’s schools. “I’m so grateful for this community that gives us so much, and I enjoy giving back,” he says.
He and his wife Grace moved to Benicia in 1996, and have two children: Alana, currently in tenth grade at Benicia High School, and Isaac, a seventh grader at Benicia Middle School. “My priority is to be involved with my kids, so they are my “A” clients. They come first and everything else fills in around them,” he explains.
Doi grew up in the Marina district of San Francisco, and enjoyed meeting people on his walks through many city blocks to get to school each day. In his youth he played basketball, baseball, and participated in cross-country and track where he learned self-discipline and the value of forming good relationships. From these early experiences, Doi takes inspiration as a passionate leader for building strong, sustainable athletic programs in the schools.
“Athletics should always be about a way for you to work with others. The challenge is how to make yourself better—not comparing yourself with others,” he says. “It’s important that athletes feel part of the team and that they have respect for the coach. It’s about attitude.”
When asked who his mentors are, he credited his pastor and his supportive wife, Grace: “She keeps my head on straight.”
