Greta Hansen Appointed as County of Santa Clara’s Chief Operating Officer

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – Today, Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith announced the appointment of Greta Hansen as the County’s next Chief Operating Officer. Ms. Hansen fills the position that will soon be vacated by Miguel Márquez, who recently was appointed City Manager for the City of Pasadena. Ms. Hansen is currently the County’s Chief Assistant County Counsel, having served in various roles in the Office of the County Counsel for the past 13 years.

As Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Hansen will be responsible for all operations of the County, the largest in Northern California, with nearly two million residents, over 22,000 employees, and an annual operating budget greater than $11 billion. Ms. Hansen will be the first woman to serve as the County’s Chief Operating Officer. She will begin her new role on Monday, August 29, 2022.

Ms. Hansen assumes this role with a distinguished track record of leading high-impact litigation and developing innovative policies and programs designed to advance the well-being of residents of the county. She has led many significant projects and initiatives, including serving as one of the directors of the County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic; leading initiatives to improve and preserve service delivery to county residents experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and substance use; and creating local policies to protect vulnerable county residents. Ms. Hansen also led successful legal efforts to block the Trump Administration from withholding federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions; to hold former lead paint manufacturers accountable for lead clean-up; and to preserve hundreds of millions in funding for mental health services for children statewide.

“I am pleased to share that Greta will be the County’s next Chief Operating Officer,” said Jeffrey V. Smith, County Executive. “She is an incredibly capable and proven leader, has a deep commitment to the County’s mission and its residents, and her many talents are well-known within the County organization and throughout our community. She will bring tremendous intellect, integrity, and heart to this critical position.”

Ms. Hansen received her bachelor’s degree from Brown University and her law degree from U.C. Berkeley. She currently serves on the board of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, previously served on the board of the Bay Area Chapter of the American Constitution Society, and has received many awards and honors for her leadership and work.

“The County’s core mission is to provide the safety-net services on which our entire community depends, particularly our most vulnerable residents,” said Ms. Hansen. “I’m inspired every day by the County’s talented and devoted public servants, and I am honored to take on this pivotal role to support them in providing excellent and effective services to our community.”

Ms. Hansen was born and raised in the greater Bay Area. She and her husband are proud parents of three young children.

# # #

ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA

The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multicultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, Calif., making it more populous than 14 states in the U.S. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.

Visit the County of Santa Clara at: https://www.sccgov.org

Like us on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/County.of.Santa.Clara/

Media Contact: Laurel Anderson / Quan Vu, Office of Communications and Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119, [email protected]

Posted: July 20, 2022

Feedback form

Contact us