Colleen Valles | San Jose, Santa Clara County

Colleen Valles came to public service after nearly a decade as a reporter covering environmental issues for the Associated Press and as a reporter and editor for community newspapers in southern Santa Clara County, covering everything from schools to sports. She started her public career as a policy aide for a Santa Clara County Supervisor, handling land use, agricultural and transportation issues for the supervisor.

She transitioned to policy analysis for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, where she worked on special projects, including a pilot project for discounted transit passes for very-low-income residents of Silicon Valley. She then returned to her communications roots as a spokesperson for VTA, helping with media coverage during the initiation of transit service to Levi’s Stadium and helping to handle crisis communications duties for the organization as well.
Colleen has since joined the Santa Clara Valley Water District, where she backs up the spokesperson, writes many of the organization’s publications, coordinates speakers bureau events, and is starting work on a more robust crisis communications plan.

Colleen has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and lives in south San José with her daughter and their dog.