Shireen Santosham

I help government and tech companies design technology that works for everyone, especially those most often left out.
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Let’s create technology  to serve everyone — not just the select few building it

$500M Public Private Partnerships
$24M Citywide Digital Inclusion Fund
40+ Countries with on-the-ground field experience
Global expert in AI policy & Advocacy

ABout 

I have spent my career at the intersection of technology and public life — building companies and institutions, shaping policy, and making sure the communities most affected by technology decisions have a voice in them.
  • Secured $500M in private infrastructure investment to create a $24M Digital Inclusion Fund as Chief Innovation Officer of San Jose, CA.  Built the city's open data and privacy framework, and laid the groundwork for  nation's leading municipal AI governance frameworks.
  • Founded and launched the Nextdoor Kind Foundation grants and operations, partnering with organizations like the Gates Foundation and NAACP, and working with product teams to reduce platform anti-social behavior.
  • Expert in AI policy and advocacy, testified before Congress, served on the FCC National Broadband Deployment Advisory Commission, and published 50+ reports driving international policy on mobile internet access. 
  • Served on faculty as a Lecturer at Stanford GSB on the Future of Cities. 
  • MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPA in International Development from Harvard Kennedy School, a BS in Economics from the Wharton School, and a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania.

Companies

Zillow
Stanford GSB (Faculty Lecturer)
Nextdoor
Plenty
San Jose Mayor’s Office
GSMA
Oceana
McKinsey
Vulcan Capital

Affiliations

Council on foreign relations
Bosch Foundation  Global Governance Futures Fellow
Committee on US China Relations Young Global leader forum
Stanford GSB Impact fund advisor
CETF Board Member
FCC National Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee

Awards

BuiltIn · Moxie Award
Silver Stevie Award — Female Executive of the Year
VERGE Vanguard Award
StateScoop Top Women in Technology
GovTech
Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers

Speaking Engagements

Cityscape Global Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

NAACP National Convention, Boston, MA

Brookings Institution Women in civic tech: Engaging citizens and technology toward the public good

Aspen Institute Where the Sidewalk Ended: The Future of Smart Cities after the Toronto Waterfront Demise

National Academy of Sciences — Sustainable & Resilient Supply Chains

Harvard Kennedy School — AI, Employment & the Opportunity Gap

GSMA Mobile World Conference, Barcelona, Spain

Congressional Testimony — Subcommittee on Communications & Technology, 2017

U.N. Conference on Women (Beijing +20)

Africa Development Bank Annual Conference, Abidjan, Cote de Ivoire

Publications & Media

S1 · Ep. 106. Hulu "The Next Thing You Eat" with David Chang

The Kamala Show “Women in Tech Series: Shireen Santosham, Chief Innovation Officer, City of San Jose”

Note to Self Podcast with Manoush Zomorodi

Bloomberg "The FCC Is Leaving Low-Income Americans Out of the 5G Rollout"

Governing Magazine "A Model for Closing the Digital Divide"

GSMA Bridging the gender gap: Mobile access and usage in low- and middle-income countries

Crunchbase "Shireen Santosham on an Eclectic Career & Passion for Mission-Driven Companies"

Center for Public Integrity “FCC packs broadband advisory group with big telecom firms, trade groups”

KQED “Living Without the Internet in the Heart of Silicon Valley”