Greta Hansen to Serve as Chief Operating Officer for Santa Clara

Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith has named a successor to outgoing Chief Operating Officer Miguel Márquez, who was recently hired to manage the City of Pasadena. Last Wednesday, Smith appointed Greta Hansen as the county’s next COO. Her start date is August 29.

Hansen currently serves as Chief Assistant County Counsel. She has worked for the Office of the County Counsel for the past 13 years, according to a news release.  

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.

Hansen will be the county’s first ever female COO. She will oversee all operations for the county and its nearly two million residents.

Hansen earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a law degree from U.C. Berkeley.  She is a member of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation board and a previous board member for the Bay Area Chapter of the American Constitution Society.

“The County’s core mission is to provide the safety-net services on which our entire community depends, particularly our most vulnerable residents,” said 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.”