Vicki Veenker
Mayor Veenker was elected to the Palo Alto City Council in 2022 and has served on the Climate Action and Sustainability Committee each year of her tenure, including as Chair the last two years. A Bay Area climate leader, Mayor Veenker is the Vice Chair of the Bay Area Air District Board and is on the Executive Committee of the Northern California Power Agency Board. She also serves on the Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission for Santa Clara County. She served as chair of Palo Alto's Policy & Services Committee and on its Finance Committee. Regionally, she is on the Executive Committee of the Peninsula Division of the League of California Cities and on the Board of the Cities Association of Santa Clara County. A distinguished intellectual property attorney and mediator, Veenker was a partner at national and international law firms where she practiced for 25 years. She has been appointed to the mediation panels of both the federal court and the International Trade Commission. Mayor Veenker was selected as one of California’s top 20 Lawyers under 40 more years ago than she would care to admit, by California Law & Business. She has served as an adjunct professor of law at both UC Law San Francisco and Santa Clara University Law School. She also was a co-founder and General Counsel of Women’s Professional Soccer, headquartered in San Francisco.
Personal
Husband Tim and I have called Palo Alto home for 30+ years, since 1992 Our two daughters attended Walter Hays, Greene Middle School, and Palo Alto High School. I grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana, a college town (Purdue) that reminds me a bit of Palo Alto
Education
J.D. Georgetown University Law Center B.S. Biochemistry, Indiana University B.A. Political Science, Indiana University
Professional Experience
Current
Founder, Veenker Law Offices & Veenker Dispute Resolution U.S. International Trade Commission Mediation Panel U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Early Neutral Evaluation Panel U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Mediation Panel
Former
Partner, Shearman & Sterling LLP; Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Group Founder Partner, Fish & Neave, (now Ropes & Gray) Co-Founder & General Counsel, Women’s Professional Soccer Adjunct Professor of Law, UC Law San Francisco Adjunct Professor of Law, Santa Clara University Managing Director, West Coast, Convergence Center for Policy Resolution Program Associate, Kettering Foundation
Council Service
Elected 2022 Chair: Climate Action & Sustainability Ad Hoc Committee Member: Council Appointed Officer Committee Commissioner & Executive Committee member: Northern California Power Agency Former Chair: Policy & Services Committee Previous Member: Finance Committee Previous Member: Rail Committee Alternate Liaison: Utilities Advisory Commission Member: Joint Palo Alto/Santa Clara Valley Water District Water Recycling Committee Former Liaison: Public Art Commission and Art Center Foundation Former Liaison: Parks & Recreation Commission Former Alternate: Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) Former Alternate: Santa Clara Valley Water District Commission
Other Public Service
Vice Chair, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Board of Directors, and Chair, Policy, Grants & Technology Committee Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC) member Santa Clara County Recycling & Waste Reduction Commission League of California Cities, Peninsula Division Executive Committee League of California Cities, Public Safety Committee Member Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) General Assembly Cities Association of Santa Clara County, Board of Directors Caltrain Local Policy Makers Group (Alternate)
Community Service
Founder & CEO, Sibling Cities USA Former President and 20-year Board Member, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, providing legal services to underserved communities, including the Buena Vista Former Director, Palo Alto’s Great Decisions discussion series, a program of the Foreign Policy Association Former Member, Northern California and Northern Nevada chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association Fund Development and Advocacy committees Former Board of Directors, WIREforWomen Advisory Board, FundHer