Tom McEnery has been a major leader in shaping the growth of Silicon Valley, a role that his father and grandparents also previously enjoyed. Elected as San Jose’s 61st Mayor in 1982, McEnery is credited for leading the rebirth of the city’s Downtown core, promoting “controlled growth”, and elevating San Jose into the one of most dynamic cities in the United States. He has been a long-time voice for term and campaign funding limits as well as reformist redistricting. The San Jose Mercury rated him the most powerful person in Silicon Valley in his last year in office. McEnery continues his interest in the area’s political arena while remaining active as a writer and public speaker. He has taught at Stanford University and been a Presidential Scholar at his alma mater, Santa Clara University. He is also a former member of the ownership group of the San Jose Sharks. San Jose’s McEnery Convention Center is named in his honor. He and Jill continue to live in the same neighborhood where four generations of their families have lived.
