Our speaker on August 26th is Andrea Mackenzie, General Manager of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. For over 33 years, the Authority has worked with state, regional and local partners to protect and restore over 30,000 acres of natural and working lands here in Silicon Valley.  Andrea will talk about nature as essential infrastructure, offer global and local perspectives about the state of the natural world and why it matters to a sustainable Silicon Valley. 

???????Andrea Mackenzie is the General Manager of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, a public land conservation agency and special district operating across a 1,000 square mile region of Santa Clara County, that protects and stewards the region's open spaces, natural areas, and working lands to support healthy ecosystems, communities, and economies. Over her career, Andrea has worked for multiple public land conservation agencies to preserve open space, farmland, and biodiversity around the San Francisco Bay Region. She has led efforts to secure voter approval of several open space finance measures in Sonoma and Santa Clara counties, generating over $600 million for land conservation.  She is inspired to protect the natural world through conservation policy, regional planning and conservation funding measures. Andrea has been named a Local Conservation Hero by Bay Nature Magazine, one of the 100 Women of Influence in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and was profiled in the 2024 publication Intertwined: Women, Nature, and Climate Justice by Rebecca Kormos. Andrea is a past fellow of the National Conservation Leadership Institute, is on the Board of Directors for Together Bay Area and serves on the Leadership Advisory Team for the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative.  Andrea holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. She lives in San Jose with her spouse, Jenni, their daughter, Kiana, and dog Toby.

2026-27 Community Grants application window is open until September 30.

Sponsored by Teresa Alvarado and  Sarju Naran

Sean Curtis is the Chief Operations Officer for MHP Hospitality. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations and procedures of all MHP Hospitality properties. MHP Hospitality’s most recent acquisition is Hotel De Anza. Sean is a lifelong Bay Area native who grew up in Los Gatos.

Beyond his professional role, Sean enjoys volunteering and has worked with various organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Peacock Acres, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Rise Against Hunger.

In his free time, Sean enjoys golfing, attending Sharks games, eating tacos, and traveling with his fiancée, Bailey, and their dog, Poppy.