Anyone who follows Silicon Valley policy conversations about regional challenges knows that Joint Venture Silicon Valley is at the forefront of convening leaders and addressing these issues. As an active member of JVSV, Fremont recognizes what great value JVSV brings to our entire region, which is why we were excited when it recently announced the appointment of veteran elected official and public affairs executive Larry Carr to the newly created position of executive vice president. We had the opportunity to ask Larry a few questions about his new role and what he thinks about the state of our Valley.

1. You must have a unique perspective on policy matters, given your experience in the public sector, private sector, and as an elected official. Can you describe how these different roles influence your approach in your new role?

Silicon Valley is full of people with interesting and varied backgrounds. It’s one of the things I love about working and living in this area. I do have a background that is broad in terms of my experiences and, hopefully, one that is of value to JVSV and to Silicon Valley. I draw upon my role as an elected official in the City of Morgan Hill when thinking about the ways that policies can affect entire communities or in the manner that public outreach is sought and included. I have worked for two different members of Congress representing different parts of Silicon Valley, so I have a perspective on how the federal government can be a part of the success of the Valley instead of an inhibitor to innovation. I’ve been in academia and the private sector and have an appreciation for the importance of talented people and preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, and public servants.

I’m excited to have such an important opportunity to engage others as Joint Venture continues to be the organization that convenes all of Silicon Valley’s varied interests and leaders around solving issues and supporting the region.

2. With the creation of this new role within JVSV, how does it allow the organization to expand in its activities?

Joint Venture’s board of directors set an exciting new course for the organization a little more than a year ago. The board realized the great need to expand Joint Venture’s role in the Valley by forming the Silicon Valley Research Institute. The new institute will for the first time provide first-hand research and data on critical issues right here in Silicon Valley.

The addition of my role in supervising the day-to-day operations and management of the organization allows Joint Venture President Russ Hancock the ability to concentrate more on growing membership, fundraising and overall strategic planning for Joint Venture and its Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies, for which he also serves as president.

3. What do you think is the most important initiative that you will tackle in the next year?

My immediate focus is on the organization itself. I’d like to provide more support to the program directors at Joint Venture to allow them to expand our existing programs. I’d like to work with Joint Venture’s Investors Council to identify current relevant issues in Silicon Valley where we can engage and look for collaborative solutions.

4. As a Silicon Valley native, what inspires you most about our region?

The People. We are a collection of smart, committed, passionate people. Visionaries, families, young urban professionals and public servants from varied backgrounds and nationalities. We enjoy the precious environment that our region provides us, and we want to be at the cutting-edge of new ideas. We tend to be pragmatic in our approach to politics, but solution-oriented when addressing issues.