Libby Schaaf joins Bay Area Council

Former Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf will take over as president and chief executive of the Bay Area Council on May 4, returning to a top regional power role. (oaklandside.org) The Bay Area Council said its executive committee approved Schaaf unanimously after a national search conducted with Heidrick and Struggles. The group also named Tony Mestres, chief executive of The Sobrato Organization, as board chair, succeeding Kristina Lawson. (bayareacouncil.org) Schaaf served as Oakland mayor from 2015 to 2023, and the council said she has since held fellowships and teaching roles at the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and Harvard University. Oaklandside reported that she also ran for state treasurer before landing the council job. (bayareacouncil.org, oaklandside.org) The job puts Schaaf atop one of the Bay Area’s longest-running business policy groups. The council says it was founded in 1945 and now counts more than 375 of the region’s largest employers as members. (bayareacouncil.org) The organization pushes on housing affordability, transportation, economic development and other regional issues across the nine-county Bay Area. In its announcement, the council said Schaaf will lead work on economic growth, housing solutions and regional collaboration. (kalw.org, sfgate.com) Schaaf said she wants to work with the council’s business and civic members on housing affordability, public safety and economic strength. KTVU reported those issues were among the priorities she highlighted as she prepared to start next month. (ktvu.com) Her appointment also revives debate over her record in Oakland. In October 2024, Schaaf agreed to pay a $21,000 settlement after the Oakland Public Ethics Commission accused her of campaign finance violations tied to political committees active in 2018 and 2020. (oaklandside.org) The Bay Area Council announcement did not address that case, and its board framed the hire around Schaaf’s coalition-building record in office. On May 4, she will move from elected city leadership into a chief executive post that sits at the junction of Bay Area business and public policy. (bayareacouncil.org)