Meet the Judges Behind the Live Where You Work Challenge
The Live Where You Work Challenge is guided by a panel of leaders who bring deep experience across housing, public service, healthcare, philanthropy, and community development. Together, they will review submissions and select an idea with the potential to strengthen connection, expand opportunity, and help more people live closer to where they work.
Emily Ann Ramos Emily Ann currently serves as Mayor of Mountain View. In her professional role as Tenant Protection and Empowerment Associate at SV@Home, she works to advance tenant protections, preserve affordable housing, and develop equitable anti-displacement policies across Silicon Valley. Previously, Emily helped grow the digital presence of The Tech Interactive through strategic social media engagement. She remains actively involved in community leadership and organizations working to strengthen and support the region’s most vulnerable residents.”
Rajiv Bhateja Rajiv serves as Mayor of Los Altos Hills. Before entering public service, he spent more than 30 years in Silicon Valley’s technology sector, working with multiple startups and public companies and retiring as a Vice President of Engineering. Originally from Bangalore, India, he earned his undergraduate degree from IIT Bombay and later received both a master’s degree in computer science and a PhD in engineering from University of California, Berkeley. Mayor Bhateja has long been active in community service, volunteering with local schools, youth programs, and civic organizations. He and his wife, Meera, have lived in Los Altos Hills for many years and raised three sons in the community.
Marc Sidel As the Community Lead for a local Family Office, Marc focuses on deploying philanthropic investments across key areas: revolutionary health care, poverty solutions, experiential education, and fostering local community vibrancy. A native of Los Altos and Mountain View, his passion lies in bolstering the local organizations that cultivate a strong sense of community and belonging. His personal goal has always been to live where he works, and he is eager to see innovative approaches to make this a reality for a wider segment of our population.
Jon Cowan leads federal, state, and local government & community relations as well as provides leadership and operational oversight of El Camino Health’s community benefit program. He brings more than 15 years of experience helping clients to solve some of their most pressing government relations, community relations, and strategic challenges.
Julie Mahowald Julie Mahowald is CFO and Head of Partnerships & Strategy of Housing Trust Silicon Valley for the past 10 years. She has also served as interim CEO of Housing Trust on two occasions. With a career rooted in corporate finance (Silicon Valley tech companies) and capital markets, Julie brings a unique perspective to mission-driven investing—structuring tools that meet investor expectations while advancing equity and affordability. She is part of the leadership team who established TECH Fund, the Apple Affordable Housing Fund, and Google’s Launch Initiative–each investing funds to start up or preserve affordable homes within months of establishment. Her passion is bringing impact capital to community development. She was named non-profit CFO of the year in 2023 by the SF Business Times and Larkin Street Youth Services. Julie served on local nonprofit boards including the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation for 7 years and is a past co-Chair. She currently serves on the board of Silicon Valley@Home and Momentum for Health.
Sally Meadows Sally is a long-time community leader and currently serves as Mayor of Los Altos. Deeply committed to civic engagement and regional collaboration, she has been actively involved in local government and nonprofit initiatives that strengthen the social and civic fabric of the community. She represents Los Altos on various Boards including Silicon Valley Clean Energy and the Santa Clara County Library District. In her professional career, Sally was a global business and market strategy leader in the biopharmaceutical industry. Her work focused on the research, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies.
This group brings a thoughtful and balanced perspective to the selection process, grounded in both professional expertise and lived connection to our community.