Published: June 02, 2010
Former Palo Alto Mayor Judith Kleinberg Joins Knight Foundation
New Program Director Will Help Foster an Informed and Engaged
Judith Kleinberg, an attorney and former Palo Alto mayor who has led both a tech start-up and award-winning nonprofits, has joined the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as program director for San Jose and Silicon Valley.
Kleinberg will work with local leaders to identify and invest in opportunities for fostering an informed and engaged San Jose and Silicon Valley region.
"Judy brings an entrepreneurial vision and deep networks to Knight Foundation - both of which will be critical to helping create transformational change," said Trabian Shorters, the foundation's vice president for communities. As vice president, COO, general counsel and the first employee of the Google-created InSTEDD - which harnesses technology for humanitarian and public health response to diseases and disasters - Kleinberg oversaw the group's international business expansion. Prior to that, she worked to strengthen California's business and technology sectors as both vice president of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network and as an executive director of what is now TechAmerica. Over the past decade Kleinberg also helped lead the city of Palo Alto by serving both as councilwoman and mayor, and as president of both the League of California Cities Peninsula Division and the Santa Clara County Cities Association.
Kleinberg, who started her career as a private attorney and broadcast television journalist, also has advocated on behalf of the rights of women and children and environmental stewardship as the chief executive of several award-winning non-profits. She is a past vice president of California Women Lawyers, director of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits and the chair of America's Promise - Silicon Valley.
A graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, Kleinberg is a senior fellow of American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley and a member of the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives. In 2009, she was named as both a "Woman of the Year" by the California State Legislature and "One of the 100 Women of Influence" by the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed, engaged communities and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
Contact: Marc Fest, Vice President of Communications, Knight Foundation, 305-908-2677; fest@knightfoundation.org
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