Wendy Ho
Chief of Staff | MPA
[email protected]
Languages spoken - English, Japanese, Illongo
Wendy Ho is a community advocate and civic leader with over 10 years of experience working on public policy at the local, state, and federal level. Prior to leading the District 3 Office and Team, the majority of Wendy’s career was in the nonprofit sector, serving most recently as the Chief Strategy and Policy Officer for the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits. Her experience also includes policy roles with United Way Silicon Valley, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, and U.S. Congress.
Wendy has served her community on the San José-Evergreen Community College District Board of Trustees since 2012. She earned her MPA from Indiana University, and BA Political Science & BA Japanese Studies from UC San Diego.
Eric Stroker
Communications Manager
[email protected]
Phone/Text: 669-309-3223
Daniel Cao
Policy Aide
[email protected]
Languages spoken - English, Vietnamese
Born and raised in Santa Clara County, Daniel covers policy areas health care, social services, education, and more. Prior to joining the D3 Team, he was a mental health program specialist for School Linked Services and Allcove in the County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services Department, a San José State University adjunct faculty member teaching epidemiology in the Public Health and Recreation Department, and an equipment intern for the San Francisco 49ers.
Daniel earned his Master’s in Epidemiology/Biostatistics and Bachelor’s in Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. He served as a defensive student assistant and student equipment manager on the California Golden Bears football team. He enjoys running, weightlifting, and playing basketball in his free time.
Ashley Dargert
Policy Aide
[email protected]
Languages spoken - English
Born and raised in West San Jose, Ashley has been involved community work her whole life. She received her B.A. in Sociology from Loyola Marymount University and her Masters in Public Policy from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. During her academic career, she furthered her knowledge of and passion for gender equity and later returned to her hometown to volunteer for American Association of University Women, at both the local and state level. Prior to joining the D3 team, Ashley worked for the County’s Office of Countywide Contracting Management. She has worked for multiple elected officials and nonprofits, always aiming to uplift marginalized voices and experiences. One of her most valued experiences was staffing one of the election sites for the November 2022 election. Ashley presently supports transportation, housing, juvenile justice, and correspondence, and sits on the County’s Domestic Violence Council.
The-Vu Nguyen
Communications Assistant and Board Aide
[email protected]
Languages spoken - English, Vietnamese
The-Vu is a familiar advocate and member of the District 3 Team, serving the Santa Clara County community for more than thirty years. Prior to joining Supervisor Lee’s office, The-Vu was with Supervisor Lee’s predecessor, then-Supervisor and now California State Senator Dave Cortese. His connections and roots to District 3 and our community are deep and helps connect our Vietnamese residents with services and support.
Prior to joining D3 Team, The-Vu worked for Youth Empowered for Success, a Division of Catholic Charities. He is the Co-Founder of the Vietnamese American Center. He worked as Policy Aide in the San José City Council District 8 office. The-Vu and his wife live in San José with their three children along with his mother, sisters, and brother.
Erika Contreras
Board Aide - Fiscal Assistant
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Languages spoken - English & Spanish
Michelle Pelayo-Osorio
Deputy Chief of Staff, Policy | MPA
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Languages spoken - English, Spanish
Michelle has devoted her career to public service and community-building, born and raised in San José. She has been a champion of equity, opportunity and justice for immigrant families, youth, and women. Prior to joining the D3 Team, Michelle worked for Campbell Union School District.
She has served as former Chief of Staff to Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese, District 3. Combined with her experience at the Santa Clara County Office of Women’s Policy, and a former Commissioner to the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. She also has made major contributions through her work with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and currently serves on the California LULAC State Executive Board as Deputy Director for Women. Michelle received her BA, from National Hispanic University/SJSU and her MPA, from National University.
Michelle presently leads Supervisor Otto Lee’s policy team and supports Supervisor Lee in developing strategic partnerships with community leaders and implementation of policies, and goals serving communities in District 3 and throughout Santa Clara County.
Elica Rahdar
Policy Aide | PHD
[email protected]
Languages spoken - English, Farsi, French
Elica joins the D3 Team after spending many years in academia. Elica earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas examining the developmental origins and outcomes of social aggression, Borderline Personality Disorder, and how adolescents’ digital communication relates to adjustment. After completing her PhD, Elica did her postdoctoral work in Developmental Neuroscience at the University of California Los Angeles, where the focus of her research was on characterizing the neural mechanisms underlying adolescent behavior with the intent of informing policy.
Additionally, Elica is a former Organizing for Action fellow, and fellows manager, and a 2019 Emerge California alum, where she was elected class Vice President. She lives in San José and enjoys spending time with her niece.
Emily Pachoud
Policy Aide
[email protected]
Languages spoken - English
Emily has been involved in advocacy in Santa Clara County since moving to the area in 2019. She graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and Sociology from Santa Clara University in 2023 and joined the team shortly after. In her undergrad years, she interned for the tUrn Climate Crisis & Awareness Project where she helped organize a biannual climate conference and coordinate climate action opportunities. She also assisted in conducting research on people with disabilities and climate change. Emily covers environment, sustainability, and other policy areas.
Alexander Gvatua
Policy Aide
[email protected]
Languages spoken - English, Georgian, Russian
Alexander Gvatua is a Santa Clara County native and first-generation American with years of policy experience in local and state government and in the international development sector. Prior to joining the D3 team, he worked for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, where he supported the development of democratic and civil institutions in Central and Western Asia; he has also worked as a legislative aide for city and state policymakers, and serves as an adjunct faculty member at San Jose State University’s political science department. He is a proud product of the Foothill-De Anza Community College system, which gave him the opportunity to earn his BA in Political Science from San Jose State University and his Master’s degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University. You can catch him in his free time writing fiction, playing drums, and (badly) singing along to old Georgian and Persian folk songs.
Elijah King
Board Aide
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Languages spoken - English
Elijah is third generation Santa Clara County resident and has been involved in community affairs since 2014. Elijah worked as a respite worker and advocate in the special needs community. He joined Supervisor Lee's campaign team as an intern and joined the office shortly after graduating from Notre Dame de Namur University. Elijah supports the communications team with research, content creation and website management.