Sarah Zarate

Sarah brings 12 years of wide ranging policy experience in local government to the City Manager’s Office. Prior to coming to San José, Sarah was Policy Director for the Milwaukee Health Department, a city lobbyist, and Chief of Staff to the Milwaukee Council President. During her time there, she provided leadership around policy development, strategy planning activities and cross-sector collaborations, systems improvement consulting, and data and evaluation capacity building. Sarah also brings experience in federal and state legislative advocacy, fiscal policy management, multi-sector partnerships, and innovative program development.

Sarah moved to San José with her family in 2019, to serve as Assistant to the City Manager where she provided organizational strategic support to the City’s leadership team. Her special projects included advancing the City Manager’s Enterprise Priorities, Council policy priorities, as well as strengthening policy solutions through the deliberate use of data in the City’s Emergency Operations Center in 2020 and 2021.

Sarah has developed award winning programs, and was recognized as a Leader of the Future by the Wisconsin Policy Forum. She is passionate about advancing race equity and systems change work in local government, and is driven by placing community members, and especially the most vulnerable, at the heart of policy work.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UWM-Madison and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Michigan. She is originally from Puerto Rico. In her free time, Sarah and her husband Arthur love traveling with their two kids.

Mukesh (Mookie) Patel

Mukesh (Mookie) Patel is the Director of Aviation for Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). The Director of Aviation leads a department with an annual operating budget of $176 million, a 2024-2028 Capital Improvement Program of $614 million, and more than 200 employees responsible for the safe and efficient operation of San José Mineta International Airport. The Airport Department’s three core services are Airport Marketing and Communication; Airport Facilities; and Airport Operations.

Patel started his career as the Manager of Commercial Development for the Kansas City International Airport in October 1993. He held several roles at international airports and in the aviation industry, including Manager of Airport Affairs Corporate Real Estate with Alaska Airlines. During his 10-year tenure at Alaska Airlines, he managed a diverse portfolio of airport relationships across the country, which included San José, where he gained a deep understanding of airline/airport economics and the economic impact SJC has in the Bay Area.

In 2015, Patel became the Senior Vice President of Airline Affairs and Commercial Property at Denver International Airport. He gained valuable insights into public-private development opportunities and honed his long-range strategic planning skills through master planning initiatives. As the Assistant Director at San Antonio International Airport, he fostered meaningful connections within the community, aligning with the mission and goals of the city while driving economic growth. Most recently, Patel was the Business and Finance Chief Officer at Austin Bergstrom International Airport where he increased non-airline revenues by nine percent within three-years and facilitated investments to support the airport’s multi-billion-dollar investment plan.

Patel holds a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management from Oklahoma State University and has a private pilot license. He was awarded the Dedicated Service Award from the American Association of Airport Executives in 2022 and is a member of the Commercial Management Steering Committee of Airports Council International.

Jim Shannon

Jim Shannon has served as the City Manager’s Budget Director since June 2019 and has nearly twenty years of experience working within a variety of public sector agencies.  Starting with the City of San José in 2012, Jim has held several positions in the Budget Office, including Assistant Director, Deputy Director, and Capital Budget Coordinator.  Prior to coming to San José, he worked for the City of San Bruno in the Public Works Department, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the State of California’s Department of Water Resources.  Jim holds a bachelor’s degree in Evolution and Ecology from the University of California at Davis, and a Master of Public Administration from San Francisco State University.

Carolina Camarena

Carolina Camarena brings more than 20 years of communications experience to the City Manager’s Office. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, Carolina started her public service career in former San José Mayor Susan Hammer’s Office as a Communications Coordinator. Since then, she has worked in several City of San José departments, including the City Manager’s Office, the Environmental Services Department, and most recently the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department as the Public Information Manager. She has also served as Emergency Public Information Branch Co-Lead in the Emergency Operations Center since July 2020. 

Carolina has developed several award-winning communications programs and projects. Most recently, she was the recipient of the 2020 Award of Distinction from the California Association of Public Information Officials for the community event “Explore Your Park.” Through a variety of community engagement and communication strategies, Carolina has contributed to advancing the City of San José’s core values. She will continue to advance the City’s values by transcreation - using culturally relevant and language-accessible messages and images –  while ensuring all San José residents and businesses have timely and accurate information. 

Carolina is a San Josean who takes great pride in working for the city she lives and grew up in. She is a graduate of Independence High School and lives in Evergreen with her family. 

Nanci Klein

In her role as Director of the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, Nanci is responsible for facilitating job growth, revenue growth, and investment in San Jose through strategy, persistence, collaboration, and creativity. She oversees a staff of 50+ employees with core service areas in Business Development, Regional Workforce Development, Real Estate Services, Cultural Affairs, and Administration.

Most recently, Nanci served as Assistant Director of Economic Development and the City’s Director of Real Estate. She led high-performing teams in three areas: Business Development, Real Estate, and Administration. She also managed an extensive personal portfolio of high-profile projects, including serving as lead negotiator of the Google Project Development Agreement and the City’s purchase of 900 acres in Coyote Valley—the largest conservation effort in South Bay history.

Some of Nanci’s other accomplishments include serving as the City’s Project Manager for the San Pedro Square Market, the $300M Japantown Mixed Use Development, the reimagination of the flagship IBM/Hitachi/Western Digital Property, development of the Coleman Highline project, and the $28M sale of the Hayes Mansion. She contributed to the development of Santana Row and Valley Fair; the attraction, negotiation, and development of the Samsung project in North San Jose; development of the Earthquakes Stadium and expansion of Shark’s Ice. She also serves as the City’s principal representative to Shark’s Sports and Entertainment (SSE).

Nanci started her career with the City of San Jose as a Budget Analyst in the City Manager’s Budget Office. She then served as a Development Officer for the San Jose Redevelopment Agency where she negotiated and facilitated projects like the San Jose Museum of Art/Whitney Museum collaboration. Nanci went to the City of San Leandro as the Economic Development Manager and drove commercial and industrial development in addition to co-founding the “Sausage and Suds” festival. Nanci returned to the City’s Office of Economic Development in 1998, holding several positions in succession until she became the Assistant Director and Director of Real Estate. Nanci holds a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Administration from San Jose State University. Nanci is a Fellow of the Rose Center for Public Leadership and an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow and was selected by the Silicon Valley Business Journal as a “Women of Influence.”

Ray Riordan

With 33 years experience, Raymond Riordan is currently the Director of City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management for the City of San José, CA. He was hired following the historic February 2017 Coyote Creek Flood, and assisted the City in its recovery from the flood and instituting action to address the over 240 items identified in the post disaster after action and improvement report. His employment included Program Manager for Emergency Preparedness for the City of San Ramon Police Department in California, Acting Executive Director of the California Utilities Emergency Association, the Acting Security and Emergency Manager for East Bay Municipal Utility District, and Senior Emergency Planner for Contra Costa County, CA. He is a Certified Emergency Manager, recognized by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), and he serves as the elected Chair for the California Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (or CalWARN).

Among his professional awards, he is three-time recipient of the International Association of Emergency Managers Association Partners in Preparedness Award and three-time recipient of the California Emergency Services Association President’s Award for leadership in emergency management.

He completed a BS degree from Santa Clara University, a MS degree in Industrial Organization from San José State University, and he has published articles on emergency planning in several journals, including the American Water Works Association Journal Magazine.

Jennifer Schembri

Jennifer Schembri serves as the Director of Employee Relations and Director of Human Resources for the City of San José, the largest city in Northern California, with an ethnically diverse population of more than 900,000 people. 

Jennifer brings a wide range of experience to her more than 19 years with the city. She rose through the ranks from her start with the City of San José in 2004 as an Executive Analyst in the City Manager’s Office of Employee Relations. Through a succession of promotions, Jennifer became an Assistant to the City Manager in 2011, then became Deputy Director in 2014 and in 2015 was appointed to Director of Employee Relations.  Reporting to the City Manager, the Director of Employee Relations is the City’s Chief Labor Negotiator with the City’s 12 bargaining units and oversees the labor and employee relations functions in the City Manager’s Office.  As Director of Employee Relations, she led the city through the settlement of the pension reform litigation while achieving multi-year contracts with the City’s 11 bargaining units.  In December 2018, Jennifer was appointed to the role of Human Resources Director, in addition to her role as Director of Employee Relations.  In her role as Human Resources Director, she oversees the City’s Benefits Program, Workers’ Compensation, Health and Safety, Employment and Training and Development.

Jennifer was raised in San José and is currently raising her two boys in San José.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Saint Mary’s College. She was recognized in 2016 with the San José/Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 100 Women of Influence Award.

Lori Mitchell

Lori Mitchell has worked in the renewable energy and utility industry for over 20 years.  Prior to joining the City of San José, she spent 10 years working for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). At the SFPUC she held several progressively responsible management positions, including the Manager of Renewable Generation, Power Supply & Scheduling Manager, and most recently the Acting Director of Energy Infrastructure. 

Prior to the joining the SFPUC, she has held senior engineering positions at PowerLight and SunPower Corporation. She is experienced in leading local renewable energy initiatives. She was responsible for the development and operations of many energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. 

Lori has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Resources Engineering and is a licensed Mechanical Engineer in California. She is a LEED certified professional and has authored multiple technical papers at renewable energy industry conferences. She has also held positions at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the California Energy Commission, and the California Air Resources Board.

Lori Mitchell

Energy Department Director Lori Mitchell is currently serving as the Acting Director for the Environmental Services Department.

Drew Corbett

Interim Director for Finance.

Robert Sapien

A San José native, Robert Sapien, Jr. entered the San José Fire Department Firefighter Recruit Academy in 1989. During his career, he has held the ranks of Firefighter, Fire Engineer, Fire Captain, Battalion Chief, Deputy Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, and was named Fire Chief on October 2, 2018. Robert’s career has included diverse operational and administrative assignments, and more than 20 years of combined labor and management experience as an elected officer of the San José Firefighters, IAFF Local 230 Executive Board and a member of the Department’s Senior Staff. Robert holds a bachelor’s degree from San José State University in Political Science with a concentration in Public Administration.

Robert leads the Fire Department in pursuit of its mission to Protect Life, Property, and the Environment through Prevention and Response. Currently, he and the Fire Department senior leadership team are focused on advancing the “Vision 2023” Strategic Business Plan which seeks to position the San José Fire Department as a national leader in providing all-hazard emergency response and fire prevention services by year 2023. The Vision 2023 Plan is comprehensive, with goals that seek to improve all aspects of the Fire Department.

The Fire Department’s Fiscal Year (Proposed) 2021-2022 $288 million Operating Budget authorizes 849 full time equivalent positions. The Operating Budget will support the 9-1-1 Fire Communications Center, all-hazards emergency response to over 210 square miles of urban and semi-rural areas through 34 Fire Stations, Fire Training, and other support functions. The Fire Department’s (Proposed) Capital Budget will provide more than $165 million over the next five years and will support the construction of a new firefighter training facility, construction of three new fire stations, relocation and construction to replace two aging fire stations, 9-1-1 Communications Center renovation, other fire station remediations, and replacement of aging emergency response vehicles.

Robert’s personal goals are to provide for first responder safety, ensure that the Fire Department is always prepared to overcome its next challenge, and to maintain SJFD’s finest traditions of Courtesy and Service.

Erik Soliván

With over 17 years of public and private sector experience in housing, Erik has demonstrated the importance of collaborating with diverse public, private and community partners to preserve and produce housing for families at all income levels. He began his career in 2003 in the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development where he administered federal and state housing programs and housing policies in collaboration with the Legislature, County and City governments, and the Housing Finance Agency. As Executive Vice President, and then Senior Vice President for the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Erik directed the organization’s highest priority initiatives including a $500 million investment in the designated Choice Neighborhood Initiatives to revitalize two communities in North Philadelphia and to preserve 3500 affordable housing units. As Executive Director of Denver’s Office of Housing and Opportunity, Erik led Denver’s first $150 million Housing Fund for the production of 400 workforce housing units and the acquisition and preservation of 600 affordable housing units. As CEO of his own company, Soliván, LLC, Erik served as Attorney and Consultant to several clients seeking affordable housing development through mixed-source project financing, real estate acquisition and development. As Chief Development Officer and then Chief of Staff of the Tulsa Housing Authority, Erik led the efforts to add and preserve over 1700 units to Tulsa’s affordable housing stock.

Erik was born and raised in North Philadelphia in public housing and is the grandson of migrants to the United States from Puerto Rico, his personal story drives his professional pursuits. He holds a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University Law School in Camden, New Jersey, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Haverford College in Pennsylvania.

Khaled Tawfik

With 25 years of experience in the private and public sectors, Khaled Tawfik has demonstrated the importance of building strong relationships and planning well to solve problems. He began his career in 1997 with MCI Systemhouse, where he advised Fortune 500 companies and implemented best practices to streamline operations, increase efficiencies, and deploy major enterprise solutions including human resources and financial systems. As Director of Ecommerce Systems and Web Services at Supply Access, Inc., his software engineering team helped the startup company architect and develop a Business-to-Business marketplace platform and supply-chain management channel to standardize, approve, and track all aspects of e-procurement. In 2001, he joined the County of Los Angeles’ Public Works Department and held several senior positions including the Chief of Information Technology. There, he oversaw network and data infrastructure supporting 70 field offices. This included telecommunication systems, 24/7 dispatch operations, radio, and industrial control systems; technology procurement; website design; application development; project management and business process engineering; Geographic Information Systems; and constituent e-government online solutions.

Previously, Khaled was the Chief Information Officer for the City of Irvine, CA. Since 2016, he and his teams have augmented City services, transformed business operations, implemented several major enterprise business systems, and earned a Top-10 Digital Cites Award from the Center of Digital Government.

Khaled holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of California at Irvine, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from St. Mary’s University, Texas.

Jill Bourne

Jill Bourne was appointed the City Librarian for the award-winning San José Public Library (SJPL) in July 2013.  SJPL serves a diverse community of more than one million residents, annually attracts over 6 million visitors and circulates more than 8 million items, and includes 23 branch libraries and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library (a unique partnership with San José State University).  Under Bourne’s leadership, SJPL has cultivated a 21st century library experience, stabilizing funding, expanding hours, removing significant barriers to access, gaining multi-sector support for the Library, and most recently appointed to lead the City’s Education and Digital Literacy Initiative.  In 2017, Bourne was nationally recognized as Library Journal’s, “Librarian of the Year” and in 2015 recognized as a “Women of Influence” by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.  She holds a bachelor's degree in English from New York University and a master's in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington.

Jon Cicirelli

Jon is passionate about serving people and has made a career of doing so. He has served in a variety of executive roles in government for the last 18 years. He is currently the Acting Director of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services. Previous assignments include Assistant Director of Public Works and Director of Animal Care and Services. 

Communication and compassion are the foundation for his work in public service. He has contributed significantly to the animal welfare industry and is an internationally renowned expert in the field. Recognized by the California State Assembly for achievements and meritorious service to the community, he has also received commendations from the cities of San José and Los Angeles for his work.  

Jon holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from George Mason University and a Master of Public Administration from Cal State San Bernardino. 

Chris Burton

With 15 years of experience leading large and small scale developments, Chris understands that the future of San José includes our diverse community, businesses of all sizes, land use, and economics. He began his career in the City of San José as a Project Manager in the PBCE Department’s Planning Division where he worked on more than 200 development projects. These included multi-family residential projects, mixed-use commercial developments, major corporate campuses, and some of the largest industrial projects in North San José, such as the Samsung headquarters.

He has spent the last 13 years in the City Manager’s Office of Economic Development (OED); he was first a Business Development Officer and most recently served as the Deputy Director of Business and Economic Development. In OED, Burton led the implementation of the City’s comprehensive economic strategy to catalyze job growth, private investment, and revenue generation.

He has worked on the development and coordination of major initiatives including the study and establishment of the Commercial Linkage Fee to ensure that affordable housing opportunities are available, and the ideation of the Development Fee Framework to create transparency for developers and investors as they consider San José as an opportunity. Burton has taken a lead role on complex programs including the creation of the Downtown Highrise Incentive to further the vision of the city’s urban core.

Paul Joseph

Acting Chief Joseph joined the San José Police Department in 1994 after serving as a City of San Mateo Police Officer for two and a half years. He has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of Law San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from California State University Northridge. Acting Chief Joseph has served as the City’s Assistant Chief of Police since March 2021.

Matt Loesch

Matt rose through the ranks from his start with the City in 2001 as an Engineer I for the PW Department Utility Section. Through a series of promotions, he became a Division Manager in the Technology Services Division in PW where he led the modernization of the Spatial Data Systems on which all City mapping and emergency response systems rely. He then assumed the role of Deputy Director of the Development and Engineering Services Division. In this role, he developed the Small Cell program delivery team which led the nation in getting our residents access to modern cellular infrastructure that also supports the City’s digital equity goals. One year later, he became the Assistant Director and co-led the department through the pandemic and helped fill key executive team positions. Most recently, as the acting Director of Public Works, he has overseen the wage theft prevention program and the Animal Care and Services Center whose recent collaboration with partners and media promotion has seen an increase in adoptions (180) – the most in recent history. 
   
Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Structures from the University of Notre Dame and is a licensed Civil Engineer in the State of California.  
 
With an annual operating budget of $201 million and 647 employees, the PW Director leads the maintenance and construction of municipal systems and helps regulate building in the public rights of way. PW is a strategic support department whose core services are diverse and complex, including animal care and services; facilities management; fleet and equipment services; planning, designing, and constructing public facilities and infrastructure; and regulating and facilitating private development.

Zulma Maciel

Zulma Maciel is the Director of San José’s Office of Racial and Social Equity, where she aims to institutionalize equity and support sustainable, transformational change so that, ultimately, Black and Brown communities experience better outcomes. Her diverse leadership experiences, track record of authentic community partnerships, results-driven approach, and commitment to racial justice has enabled Zulma to live out her calling in this new role.  

Zulma has served the public for over two decades in various capacities, such as, policy development, administration, and management of a $15M grant portfolio. In 2015, she became the first Director of San José’s Office of Immigrant Affairs committed to creating an environment of belonging and service to immigrants and refugees. Collaboratively with community partners, Zulma developed the City’s first Welcoming San José Plan that outlined an ambitious set of goals and strategies in service of immigrants and refugees. 

In her spare time, Zulma volunteers on local non-profit boards and regularly enjoys hiking and Pilates. Zulma is binational (México and US citizen), bilingual, and bicultural. She earned a B.A in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

John Ristow

John Ristow is the Director of the Department of Transportation. John was formerly the Deputy Director of Planning and Project Delivery for the department, where he was responsible for transportation planning, policy development and the Capital Improvement Program. In his role, he provided oversight of San José’s street, pedestrian and bicycle system and coordinating with federal, state and regional agencies on delivery of highway and transit projects serving San José. John was previously the Director of Planning and Program Development with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of Colorado.