Reena Brilliot has led city planning, economic development, & sustainability initiatives for over 20 years for the Silicon Valley cities of Santa Clara and San Jose. Since 2018, Reena has worked to help lead Santa Clara through a diverse and robust work program of real estate development, long range planning, affordable housing and building activities which has generated a pipeline of over 20,000 housing units and the development of six master plans comprising of over 700 acres of area. As the City of Santa Clara is the leading West Coast Cluster of data centers with over 55 data centers within the City, Reena has overseen the City’s review of numerous data center projects from entitlements through construction. As the City’s first Director of Economic Development & Sustainability, Reena also chiefly supports economic vitality in the City focusing on improving the success and experiences of small businesses and large businesses including Nvidia, Intel, Applied Materials, and other AI and tech firms which are headquartered in Santa Clara. Reena also leads Santa Clara’s implementation of its adopted Climate Action Plan, which includes ambitious climate goals. She’s a Chicago area native, loves cycling and checking out live music with her husband, and spends most weekends in the stands, cheering her son.
Reena is a certified city planner (AICP) and is an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow. She holds a Masters Degree in City and Regional Planning from University of California – Berkeley and a Bachelors Degree in International/Intercultural Studies from Pitzer College, Claremont, California.