IPAWorld News
Kim Walesh
Chief Strategist of City of San Jose, California, USA
Kim Walesh oversees strategic planning, partnerships, and innovations for the City of San Jose—the Capital of Silicon Valley and America’s 10th largest city.
Kim joined the City in 2003 to lead development of San Jose’s first comprehensive economic development strategy, and currently oversees implementation. In 2007, she led development of San Jose’s Green Vision that includes 10 aggressive goals to strengthen the clean tech economy and create a more sustainable region. Kim leads strategic initiatives related to industry development, university collaboration, downtown regeneration, and city planning. She assists the City’s executive and elected leadership in understanding and addressing issues that affect the City’s longterm success.
Prior to joining the City of San Jose, Kim was co-founder and managing director of Collaborative Economics, a Silicon Valley-based consultancy 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, San Diego, Richmond (Virginia), California’s Central Valley, Tianjin (China), Slovenia, and South Australia.
Prior to founding Collaborative Economics in 1993, Kim was senior policy analyst at SRI International’s Center for Economic Competitiveness, where she played management and analytic roles in more than 20 state and regional competitiveness projects in North America, Asia, and Europe.