Yoriko Kishimoto, the Mayor of Palo Alto, will speak on “Building a Green Economy,” which is her 2007 mayoral vision for the city. Her talk will address the challenges and rewards of leading Palo Alto, with a twin emphasis on “sustainable budget” and “sustainable development”. She looks forward to an interesting discussion on political leadership and governance in our New California economy and community.

Yoriko Kishimoto became Mayor of Palo Alto in January 2007. She has served on the Palo City Council for four years, and is the city’s first Asian mayor. Mayor Kishimoto was a strong community leader and activist before her election to city government. She combines a business and technical background with a lifelong passion for the environment and walkable communities.

She was born in Japan, went to college at Wesleyan University and earned her MBA degree at Stanford University. Her professional life includes 20 years of running a US-Japan business consulting firm and co-authoring an internationally published book (The Third Century: Americas Resurgence in the Asian Era).