Kim Walesh joined the City of San Jose in January of 2003 as Assistant Director of Economic Development. In this role, she recently led the development of an economic strategy for the City that will help shape policies, investments, and partnerships over the next five years.

Prior to joining the City, Kim was Co-Founder and Director of Collaborative Economics, a Mountain-View-based firm that works with business and civic leaders who want to build stronger economies and better communities. She is recognized for her expertise in economic competitiveness and civic leadership, and has advised leaders in places as diverse as Chicago, Columbus, Richmond, Fresno, and South Australia.

In her home community of Silicon Valley, Kim created and co-authored the annual Index of Silicon Valley, produced by Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, which tracks changes in the region’s economy, environment, and society. She helped develop Silicon Valley 2010: A Regional Framework for Growing Together, which involved 2000 people in creating 17 shared goals for Silicon Valley’s future. With Community Foundation Silicon Valley, she led Giving Back: The Silicon Valley Way, which documents charitable giving and volunteering in the region, and the Women of Silicon Valley project.

Kim is the co-author of the books Civic Revolutionaries: Igniting the Passion for Change in American Communities (Jossey-Bass, 2003), Grassroots Leaders for a New Economy: How Civic Entrepreneurs Build Prosperous Communities (Jossey-Bass, 1987), and more than 40 other reports and publications. Prior to founding Collaborative Economics in 1993, Kim was senior policy analyst at SRI International, where she played management and analytic roles in more than 20 state and regional competitiveness projects in North America, Asia, and Europe.

Kim holds a bachelors degree in economics from Valparaiso University and a master of public policy degree from Harvard University, where she was a Kennedy Fellow.