He went from a life of gangs and poverty to working at prominent companies like eBay and winning election to Silicon Valley’s most powerful education board. Santa Clara County Board of Education Member Peter Ortiz knows the struggles of many students in his district because he’s lived through them himself. Ortiz, 29, grew up off of...

Working in a fruit orchard cannery in San Jose as a school girl gave Former Federal Election Commission chair Ann Ravel a startling glimpse at income inequality, gender and racial disparities. White men were treated and paid better than white women, Latinos and Latina workers, she said. “I was a member of the union for the workers...

Jessica Paz-Cedillos owes it all to her community. Paz-Cedillos in March becomes the new executive director for the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. Paz-Cedillos brings with her an extensive background in community organizing and an impressive history of fundraising. But she says she wouldn’t be in the position she’s in...

One of the world’s most powerful campaigns against sexual violence began when Tarana Burke mentored girls at a summer camp more than 20 years ago. That’s when the #MeToo movement was born. “When you gather people together and create safe spaces, what happens is disclosure,” said Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement and Time’s...

Shivaun Nurre is coming into the job of San Jose Independent Police Auditor with a vision to expand the duties of the office, months after her predecessor resigned amid a high-profile fight with San Jose’s police union. But Nurre, 58, leads the office at a critical time — police officers across the country and in...

Former San José City Manager Norberto Dueñas is in what he likes to call his “second career.” The veteran civil servant, who got his start as an intern for then-councilmember Jim Beall, was employed by the city of San José for 33 years before he retired last fall. After a tumultuous two years as city...

Andrea Urton has faced many challenges in her life such as losing her mother, living in a violently abusive home and ending up on the streets — all before she graduated high school. Now Urton is the CEO of HomeFirst, one of the South Bay’s leading nonprofits working to end homelessness. And she’s working toward...

Ten years after East Side matriarch Blanca Alvarado “retired” from politics, the trailblazer shows no signs of slowing down.