Since Mayor Sam Liccardo took office in 2015, San Jose has thrived. In his very first year, Liccardo settled intense battles over pension reform with 11 unions, saving taxpayers US$3 billion over the next three decades and enabling the restoration of San Jose’s police force. Since then, he has led the most successful period of economic growth in the City’s history, announcing major expansions from employers like Adobe, Apple, Broadcom, and Google. Liccardo has also implemented innovative approaches to reduce homelessness—such as converting motels, expanding work-first programs, and building “tiny home” villages—while working with community partners to house more than 1,000 homeless veterans. Furthermore, he has helped broaden prosperity in San Jose by launching after-school programs in less affluent neighborhoods, providing jobs for 2,000 at-risk teens, teaming with community colleges to eliminate tuition for low-income students, and lifting the minimum wage across the region. Liccardo has also co-led successful measures to bring Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and other transit improvements to San Jose and protect its hillsides and open spaces from sprawling development. In 2018, San Jose residents overwhelmingly re-elected Liccardo, with 76% of the vote.

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Stephen Badger serves as Chairman of Mars, Incorporated’s Board of Directors. He was a key investor in Seeds of Change, an organic seed and food company, and also served as President. As Global Director of Corporate Affairs, Badger led Mars to be the first company among its food and confectionery peers to eliminate marketing its products to children under 12, a move which has since shaped industry-wide practices. Badger also financed and produced the film Muscle Shoals which premiered at Sundance to a standing ovation in 2013.

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Tan Le is an innovator, inventor, and entrepreneur; she is the founder and CEO of EMOTIV. Born in South Vietnam, Le migrated to Australia as a refugee with her family in 1981. Le began university studies at the age of 16 and went on to complete a bachelor’s degree with honors in law and commerce in 1998 at Monash University. In 1998, Le was named Young Australian of the Year and voted one of Australia’s 30 Most Successful Women Under 30. Le’s story was featured in the ‘Hope’ section of the Eternity Exhibition of the National Museum of Australia. Le has been featured in “Who’s Who in Australia” List since 1999, Fast Company’s Most Influential Women in Technology in 2010, and Forbes’ 50 Names You Need to Know in 2011. Le has been honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader since 2009. Le was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2013. She currently serves on the Board of Stewards on Shaping the Future of Information and Entertainment of the World Economic Forum and the Global Future Council on the Future of Neurotechnologies and Brain Science of the World Economic Forum.

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Seth Goldman is co-founder & TeaEO emeritus of Honest Tea and executive chair of Beyond Meat.  Honest Tea is the nation’s top selling organic bottled tea, specializing in beverages that are just a tad sweet, organic, and Fair Trade Certified™. In March 2011, Honest Tea was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company, becoming the first organic and Fair Trade brand in the world’s largest beverage distribution system.  Honest Tea and Honest Kids are sold in more than 150,000 stores in the USA and Europe, including McDonald’s, SUBWAY, and Chick-fil-A. Beyond Meat is also rapidly expanding distribution, as the company seeks to expand the availability and accessibility of plant-based protein. Godman graduated from Harvard College (1987) and the Yale School of Management (1995), and he is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Follow Seth @@HonestSeth.