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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Miranda Ballentine is the CEO of REBA, an alliance of clean energy buyers, developers, service providers, and NGOs that are unlocking the marketplace for a cleaner, prosperous, zero-carbon energy future. REBA members were involved in 100 percent of corporate large renewables deals in 2018. Ballentine was previously CEO of Constant Power, a DER company, as well as managing director of RMI’s Business Renewables Center. From 2014-2017,  she served President Obama as assistant secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment, and Energy). She was responsible for a US$9 billion energy budget and launched the Resilient Energy Demonstration Initiative, developing clean, cyber-secure microgrids. Previously, Ballentine was Walmart’s director of sustainability for renewable energy. She led a global team to achieve Walmart’s 100 percent renewable energy goal, identifying more than US$1 billion in annual energy savings and 9 million metric tons of avoided GHGs.

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Hubert Joly is Executive Chairman of Best Buy Co. Inc. In this role, he leads the board of directors while advising and supporting the CEO on key matters, such as strategy, capability building, M&A, and external relationships. He also may assume certain responsibilities at the request of the CEO, in areas such as government relations, community relations, and leadership development. Joly joined Best Buy in 2012 and served as the company’s CEO until June 2019. He led the company through its much publicized Renew Blue transformation. The transformation resulted in improvements in customer satisfaction, market share gains, revenue growth, and improved margins. Joly then led Best Buy into its next phase, Best Buy 2020: Building the New Blue. This growth strategy aims to enrich lives through technology by addressing key human needs in entertainment, productivity, communication, food, security, and health and wellness. Under Joly’s leadership, Best Buy committed to preparing youth from underserved communities for the tech-reliant jobs of the future. Additionally, the company is on a path to reduce its carbon footprint by 60 percent.

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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.

Follow Tan @TanTTLe.