​David Gomez,  Chief of Staff

David Gomez is a native of San Diego, CA. He has been a District 1 resident for over 35 years and is the proud parent of a Cupertino School District student.

He has been a neighborhood leader in the Murdock neighborhood for over 20 years, serving as a Board member of the Murdock Neighborhood Association. David is also a member of the District 1 Leadership Group working with D1 leaders to make an impact city-wide. David enjoys connecting with and advocating for residents and causes.

​During his free time, he enjoys working on classic cars, breeding rare poison dart frogs, and traveling to the many great beaches along the California coast.

Cassidy Kohl, Policy and Legislative Director

Cassidy graduated from San José State University in 2015, earning a Bachelors in Communication Studies with a minor in Environmental Studies. During her time there, she interned with the City of Sunnyvale ‘s Environmental Services Department and got hooked on public policy. Cassidy then moved up to Oregon where she attended Lewis and Clark Law School and received her Masters focusing on Environmental Law and Policy.

During her time in Portland, Oregon, she worked with environmental and land use non-profits, and for State Representative Paul Holvey as a Legislative Assistant. She has varied experience working on political campaigns for progressive candidates and ballot measures, and volunteering with local environmental groups. Cassidy looks forward to using her past work experiences and passion for good policy to help make District 1 an even better place to live and work.

​Cassidy also enjoys spending time hiking and exploring with her family. She and her husband welcomed their little boy to the world in May 2018.

Grace Kolander, Policy and Legislative Aide

Grace is the first generation in her family to be born in San José (and the USA), after her parents emigrated from Poland in 1986. She grew up in San Jose, spending much of her childhood in the Cambrian Park area where her mother started a small, but successful, eatery called Heartbeat Café. She holds very dear to her heart memories of working at the café and helping turn the family business into a gathering place for members of the community. Grace attended Sonoma State University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology/Criminal Justice Studies in May 2012. Following graduation, she went to work at FireEye, a network security company in the Silicon Valley. While working full time, she went back to school for her Master’s Degree in Justice Studies and graduated in May of 2017.

​In her spare time, Grace enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband, Adam, and their dog Henry. Grace is passionate about pit bulls and animal rescue, spending her free time advocating for the breed.

Ngan Nguyen, Council Assistant

Ngan received her undergraduate degree in Furniture Design from San Diego State University and spent time as an interior designer, before making a career change into Urban Planning. She received her Masters of Urban Planning at San José State University. Ngan is passionate about social and environmental justice and serving her community, especially those who are historically marginalized and underserved. 

Ngan is a San José native who spends her free time binge-watching various TV shows, taking spontaneous trips to the beach, and spending quality time with her loved ones, including her cat. You might even catch her riding her bike in downtown San José, where she currently resides. ​

Michael Saunders, FUSE Executive Fellow

Michael was born and raised in Queens, New York and has been a resident of San Jose for over 30 years. He has worked in a variety of roles in systems engineering, marketing, competitive analysis and business development with IBM and Reuters. He’s performed organizational change consulting with Price Waterhouse Coopers and Towers Perrin. He also served as an Encore Fellow in the San Jose Mayor's Office.

Michael served as Executive Officer for HandsNet, a nonprofit information clearinghouse providing technology services and to human services organizations across the country. He serves on the board of TechSoup Global, a nonprofit providing technology to NGO's in the U.S. and over 236 countries around the world.

Michael has a degree in Engineering and Applied Science from Harvard College and an MBA for the Stanford Graduate School of Business in Finance and Strategic Management. He lives with his wife Leslie, and enjoys long walks with their puppy Moses.