SVLG recently convened a new dynamic event – Mobilizing Our Power, SVLG’s Women’s Leadership Summit. In our inaugural event, we brought together top women leaders from business, government and civic life; startup founders; wellness experts and others for an afternoon of insightful and inspiring conversations around where women in the innovation economy are today, whether in their personal or professional lives.
Voleck Taing, SVLG’s Vice President of Governmental Relations (they/them), was first bitten by the Sacramento bug during an elementary school field trip. Over the subsequent years, they developed a passion for politics and public policy, which fueled more than a decade of public service as a legislative aide in the State Capitol. Their legislative career touched on a wide range of business, social and environmental issues impacting Silicon Valley and across the State of California — from helping to establish a statewide Blockchain Working Group to advocating on behalf of social justice and economic development priorities.
On behalf of more than 350 companies that drive America’s innovation economy from the heart of Silicon Valley, SVLG’s Peter Leroe-Muñoz urges elected officials in Washington to pass the CHIPS Act of 2022 and secure America’s semiconductor future and resilience.
Leveraging a record state budget surplus, SVLG partnered with Save the Bay, the Bay Area Council, Together Bay Area, Valley Water, and San Mateo County to make a push for critical funding for flood protection and restoration projects to meet the mounting climate related challenges we are now experiencing. We rallied local elected leaders throughout the Bay whose cities are directly impacted by rising waters and met with Bay Area legislators to champion additional funding. As a result of our efforts, this year’s budget deal has a historic $120 million dollar commitment dedicated to address Seal Level Rise in the San Francisco Bay.
Angel Gonzalez and Charles Mackin are part of Career Horizons, a statewide, online mentorship initiative that the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, the Bay Area Council, and Valley Vision started in 2021. The program pairs professionals with Black and Latinx community college students for one-on-one career guidance meetings. The goal: expand BIPOC students’ professional networks and career horizons.
SVLG, BAC and Valley Vision worked with Umoja and Puente, the lead organizations serving Black and Latinx students in California community colleges, to co-design the program and serve as trusted intermediaries to students.
A trio of leading Silicon Valley business leaders urge Congress to reject proposed antitrust legislation that could harm small businesses and have a chilling effect on the innovation ecosystem that is a backbone of the nation’s economy.
As Vice President for Environmental Policy at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Mary Holing is a passionate advocate for climate action at the intersection of business and government.
Mary leads SVLG’s Silicon Valley Climate Collective, which regularly convenes SVLG member company CEOs with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in order to coordinate their efforts to combat climate change in a way that simultaneously invigorates and supports U.S. businesses. The Climate Collective demonstrates how clean technology and sustainability practices can safeguard the climate and grow the economy at the same time.
Facing a shortage of engineering talent, in 2014 LLNL partnered with the college of Las Positas, the Alameda County Workforce Board, and the nonprofit Growth Sector to create Vets2Tech, a program helping to train their next generation of engineers and engineering technicians.
For the last eight years, Vets2Tech has worked with Bay Area community colleges to develop math and physics curricula and technology training programs, and then funnel graduates, mostly veterans, into SVLG member companies including LLNL and LAM Research. The program quickly became a win-win for LLNL, LAM and the participating veterans, who had mechanical know-how, leadership skills, and security clearances, but lacked the resume they believed they needed to succeed in tech.
Fueled by the pandemic, the recent wave of employee turnover known as “The Great Resignation” has caused a major shortage of employees throughout the economy.
Technology companies have received more than their share of the instability, with 72% of tech/IT workers thinking of changing jobs or exploring other opportunities in the next 12 months, compared to 55% for other careers in the U.S., according to a 2021 survey of 1,200 tech employees by Talent LMS and Workable.
Vince Rocha, VP of Housing & Community Development at SVLG, is a dedicated housing policy expert whose tenacity, attention to detail, and ability to connect with others form the perfect storm for political advocacy. Having grown up in affordable housing near good schools in Silicon Valley, he understands the need for everyone to have access to housing near transit and amenities. His combined passion for equity and professional excellence are a reminder of the potential for our region to house and care for all of its residents.
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