Biography
Yoriko Kishimoto is former Mayor of Palo Alto and the first Asian elected to the Palo Alto City Council. Yoriko’s call to action as Mayor has been to “Build a Green Economy through Innovation” and continues to work regionally on transportation, climate change, water and open space initiatives. She is currently a public elected official with a leading ecosystem preservation government agency, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.
Yoriko was born in Japan, earned her Stanford MBA and worked for 20 years consulting to technology entrepreneurs. She is an internationally published author of The Third Century: Asia’s Resurgence in the Asian Era.
Title
“Building a Green Economy through Innovation – Combining a Walkable Community with Smart Transport.”
Abstract
Yoriko Kishimoto’s call to action as Mayor of Palo Alto was “Building a Green Economy through Innovation”. As an economic, environmental, and educational leader, Palo Alto stepped up to break new ground as a knowledge-based community, in both policy-setting and technology. Transportation in California is a special challenge, being the largest source of greenhouse gases and very significant traffic congestion. Autonomous, electric vehicles and systems are critical – but so are regional trains and walkable neighborhoods.
Yoriko Kishimoto will discuss the challenges and rewards of merging the best community values with global innovation.