President and CEO, California Emerging Technology Fund
McPeak leads the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the deployment and adoption of broadband and information technology to close the digital divide in California.
For three years prior, McPeak served as secretary of the California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency where she oversaw the largest state agency, including Caltrans, DMV, CHP, housing, several business regulatory departments, and programs for tourism, film, trade, and small business. She was responsible for more than 42,000 employees and a budget of over $11 billion. Under McPeak’s leadership, performance in all departments improved significantly — cutting average wait times at the DMV from over an hour to 21 minutes, reducing by two-thirds the time to issue real estate licenses, and generating more than $180 million in savings. She also provided key policy leadership in support of the Governor to launch major investments in infrastructure and to foster groundbreaking regional smart-growth planning.
Previously, McPeak served as president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, a major employer-led policy organization promoting regional economic prosperity. She served for more than 15 years as an elected member of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors and was president of the California State Association of Counties in 1983. She also served on the boards of directors of two publicly traded corporations for almost two decades.
McPeak grew up on a dairy farm in the San Joaquin Valley. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master's of public health from the University of California, Berkeley. She has been awarded two honorary doctorates.