About The Mountain View Historical Association
Founded in 1954, the Mountain View Historical Association is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich history of Mountain View, California.
The goals of The Mountain View Historical Association are:
- To gather and preserve historical data relative to the early settlement and development of the area in and around the present City of Mountain View
- To collect, record, edit and publish a history of the pioneering activities of this area;
- To preserve historic objects and places; and,
- To cooperate with other organizations in the Santa Clara Valley on projects related to regional and Mountain View history.
Association meetings are open to the General public.
Association Officers & Board Members (2021-22)
The MVHA is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors elected or appointed every two years. The positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary are elected by members at the Association’s annual fall meeting on even-numbered years. Along with the most recent Past President, these five positions serve as the MVHA’s Executive Committee. The rest of the Board is composed of appointed Standing Committee Chairs (Historical Data, Membership, Newsletter, Ways & Means), two Directors-at-large, and non-voting members serving as chairs of special committees (e.g. Publicity Chair). The association welcomes individuals interested in board positions to contact us to learn more about volunteering!
Pamela Baird
President
Robert Cox
Vice President
Robert is a project lead, Intel Compilers and Languages, Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA. He holds a PhD in Systems Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Robert served on Mountain View’s Planning Commission from 2013-2020 and has been a member of the Rental Housing Committee since 2023. He has been Vice Chair of the Old Mountain View Neighborhood Association since 2011 and is a member of the Steering Committee of Livable Mountain View. He writes two genealogy columns for the MVHA Newsletter and organizes MVHA’s Neighborhood Social Outreach.
Jamil Shaikh
Secretary
Jamil has been a lifetime member of the Association since 2002. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering and has an extensive experience working in many facets of the electronic industry. He says, that knowing the history of a place gives one a sense of belonging to the community.
Nick Perry
Former President
Nick has volunteered on the MVHA Board of Directors since 2011, serving as Newsletter Editor (2011-15), Vice President (2016-18), and President (2018-20). He currently serves as Past President and volunteers as the Association’s graphic designer and social media manager. Nick has a passion for the history of the built environment and holds a Master of City Planning and Bachelor’s in Urban Studies from UC Berkeley. A native of Mountain View, he has written two books on his hometown’s history. In 2020, after twelve years working as an urban designer for the San Francisco Planning Department, Nick joined the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority where he is managing the creation of a master plan for conserved lands in Coyote Valley.
Lisa Roquero Garcia
Membership Committee Chair
Lisa grew up in Mountain View and is a graduate of Los Altos High School and the University of California, Berkeley. Lisa spent most of her life in Mountain View, where she raised her two children, both graduates of Mountain View High School. Garcia was a founding member of Mesa de la Comunidad, a nonprofit group that provided translation services to Latino families during the debates over closing down a school in the district in the early 2000s. She stays connected to the Mountain View community through her volunteer work for the MVHA.
Gill Lane
Historical Data Committee Chair
Gill has been a resident of the Mountain View area for 72 years. He is a product of the Mtn. View/Los Altos school systems and a graduate of Mtn. View High School Class of 1958; he received degrees from Santa Clara University. Gil’s family started a business in Mtn. View in 1931 that later constructed the building and started the original business that became Johnny Mac’s.
IdaRose Sylvester
Board Member-at-Large—Strategic Planning
IdaRose has lived in Mountain View for over 20 years, and is fascinated by the rapid change the city has gone through, and the commitment to community the city has. She holds an MBA, and previously ran her own consulting firm, and now runs her nonprofit, Appetite for Good. She chairs Mountain View’s Human Relations Commission, and is involved in several civic organizations helping protect and define the city’s future. She loves studying the past to see what lessons we can bring to the future.
John Cortez
Newsletter Committee Chair
John Cortez is a longtime Mountain View resident and alumni of Mountain View High School. In addition to supporting the MVHA he is also a member and past Jr. president of Redwood Parlor #66 Native Sons of the Golden West. He is a strong supporter of History and has attended the San Francisco History Expo on their behalf.
Carol Donahue
Board Member-at-Large—Community Outreach
As the child of immigrants, Carol learned the value of preserving family and community history by hearing about her parents’ journeys from outsiders to English speaking US citizens. Maya Angelou’s statement “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going” inspires Carol to share family lore with kinsfolk.
Carol moved from Chicago proper to Mountain View in 2014 to be near family. She has worked in communications, editing, event management and administration in corporate and nonprofit settings. Prior to relocating, she enjoyed Chicago’s live theater and art museums. She served as a Business Volunteer for the Arts through the Arts and Business Council where she joined teams of consultants to advise startup performance companies. Carol is past chair and current member of Mountain View’s Performing Arts Committee.
She is happy to have moved from one of the most diverse cities in the USA to Mountain View which has a long history of diversity throughout its agricultural to tech history. She is learning and sharing stories of those who built Mountain View and looks forward to witnessing where the community goes from here.
Melissa Rusch
Treasurer
Melissa is new to Mountain View, and also new to the Association. She is currently employed with Ferguson Enterprises and obtained her Associates from Waldorf University, currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She has previously volunteered for causes such as Habitat for Humanity, animal rescue and rehabilitation, and poverty education and alleviation. When she is not volunteering, she is hiking around the Bay Area or travelling with her husband.
Your Name Here
Future Board Member
The MVHA welcomes interested individuals to join our Board of Directors! Current vacancies include special committees appointed directly by our President. In the past, these special committees have included Programs, Memorials & Remembrances, Hospitality and Donations. If you have interest/experience in any of these areas, contact us today! If you are interested in learning more about volunteering on our board, email us at info@mountainviewhistorical.org or leave us a voicemail at (650) 903-6890.