Ellen Kamei is now serving her second term on the Mountain View City Council, having been reelected on Nov. 8, 2022. She grew up on her family’s 10-acre flower nursery, which moved from Mountain View to Morgan Hill. After she grew up, Kamei returned to Mountain View. She is multiracial and multilingual (Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin). Kamei says her interest in public service began in elementary school. Prior to joining the council, Kamei served on Mountain View’s Environmental Planning Commission (2012-2018). "My professional experience spans over a decade in public service at the city, county, state, and federal government levels,” she says on EllenKamei.org.
First elected: November 2018
Day job: External affairs area manager, AT&T
Alma maters: Harvard Kennedy School (Senior Executives in State and Local Government); University of Pennsylvania (master’s degree, public administration); American University (weLEAD Program); UC Santa Barbara (bachelor’s degree, English and Japanese)
Twitter bio: @CHACMV JPA Board Member| @ABAGSFBayArea General Assembly | @Penn MPA & @UCSantaBarbaraBA | 9-5 @attpolicyca |
Notable quote: “Our middle class is shrinking and our diverse community is changing. I ran to make sure opportunities continue for our next generation as well as our family-oriented community. I sought to pair my leadership, experience, and skills with the passion of the voices of the community to ensure that Mountain View continues to stand in support of all its residents, and that it is a welcoming and safe community.” (Source: EllenKamei.com)