Owner of  Ganesh Works, a repair and electrical contracting company in Davis.  He received a ScB in Mechanical Engineering and an AB in Sociology from Brown University.  Midway through college, he spent a summer in Stockholm on an exchange program for engineers (IAESTE), working at an elevator manufacturing company.  After graduating in 1969, he joined the Peace Corps and trained for service in Nepal, where he worked for two years for His Majesty’s Government with the World Health Organization.  Along with Israeli and German volunteers, he surveyed land and designed drinking water systems for foothill villages.  When he completed his tour in Nepal, he joined the Peace Corps staff and, after training another group in Davis, returned to Nepal to finish the group’s training.  After a slow trip home through the Middle East and Europe, he wound up back in Davis to readjust to American culture with other PC Nepal returnees. Within a year, in 1973 he decided to plant roots and start a business in Davis with another RPCV. Ganesh Fixit, which became Ganesh Works, has been going and growing ever since, mostly now in electrical contracting.  Since coming to Davis he has served on numerous city committees.  He was on the Core Area Specific Plan Task Force (1989), co-chaired the Olive Drive Specific Plan Task Force (1992-93), and recently spent six years on the board of Davis Community Housing (now CHOC), serving as president for two terms.

Bill grew up in rural Illinois.  His father was a farmer and cabinet maker, but now, at age 90, mostly plays tennis and volunteers.  His mother was a first grade teacher and homemaker.  His wife, Sabrina O'Hanleigh, has been a teacher in the Davis school system.  However, she now only substitutes since the birth of their daughter Jocelyn in 1998 and the addition to their family of an infant foster daughter Kaleah in 2004. They are in the process of adopting her.  They live in the Core Area in a 100-year-old home.  Some interesting points:  Bill’s training for the Peace Corps in Nepal took place at Cactus Corners in Davis.  And though he does mostly electrical contracting during the week, you can still find Bill on Saturday mornings in the shop doing repairs on vacuum cleaners, lamps or what have you.  He came on the board in 2004.