# Hydra Mendoza

> Hydra Mendoza is the VP and Chief of Strategic Relationships in the Office of the Chair and CEO at Salesforce, where she builds and stewards key stakeholder relationships across government, community, and corporate sectors. A native San Franciscan born to a Filipino military family, she made history as the first and only Filipina ever elected to office in San Francisco - serving three terms on the SF Unified School District Board. Her career spans community organizing, mayoral advising, school board leadership, and overseeing communications for the nation's largest public school system before joining Salesforce, where she co-architected the company's original educational investments alongside Marc Benioff.

- **Role:** VP, Chief of Strategic Relationships in the Office of the Chair and CEO at Salesforce
- **Organizations:** Salesforce, Glide Foundation (Board of Directors), Bay Area Council (Board of Directors), California Academy of Sciences (Board of Directors), Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good at USF (Advisor), San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education (Former), NYC Department of Education (Former), Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco (Co-Founder, Former Executive Director)
- **From:** Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, United States
- **Nationality:** American (Filipino-American)
- **Education:** High School Diploma, Washington High School, San Francisco, Attended (no degree specified), UC Berkeley (University of California, Berkeley), 70 units in Early Childhood Education, City College of San Francisco
- **Known for:** First and only Filipina elected to public office in San Francisco, Elected to SF Unified School District Board three times (2006, 2010, 2014), Twice elected President of SF Unified School District Board by peers

## Career timeline

- **1965** — Born at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, to a Filipino military family
- **1980s** — Senior year at Washington High School, San Francisco; worked as law firm assistant
- **Late 1980s** — Attended UC Berkeley while working at law firm; studied early childhood education at City College
- **Early 1990s** — Moved to Boston; worked in real estate loan workouts helping people facing foreclosure
- **Mid 1990s** — Returned to San Francisco; co-founded foreclosure company; took 5-year hiatus to raise two children
- **Early 2000s** — Began community education work; co-founded Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco; served as Executive Director
- **2004** — Appointed Senior Advisor on Education to Mayor Gavin Newsom
- **2006** — Elected to San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education - first and only Filipina elected to office in San Francisco
- **2010** — Re-elected to SF Unified School District Board; elected President by peers
- **2011-2015** — Served as Deputy Chief of Staff on Education and Equity, Office of Mayor Edwin Lee
- **2014** — Re-elected to SF Unified School District Board for third term
- **2016-2018** — Served as Deputy Chancellor for Community Empowerment, Partnerships and Communications, NYC Department of Education under Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza, overseeing 1.1 million students
- **2018+** — Joined Salesforce as VP, Chief of Strategic Relationships in the Office of the Chair and CEO; co-architected original Salesforce.org educational investments with Marc Benioff

## Achievements

- First and only Filipina elected to public office in San Francisco
- Elected to SF Unified School District Board three times (2006, 2010, 2014)
- Twice elected President of SF Unified School District Board by peers
- Co-architected original educational investments made by Salesforce.org alongside Mayor Ed Lee and Marc Benioff
- Named to Filipina Women's Network 100 Most Influential Filipinas
- Honored by Pin@y Educational Partnerships, College Track, Mission Economic Development Agency
- San Francisco State University recognition for community leadership
- California Association for Bilingual Education honors
- Donor Network West recognition
- Oversaw community engagement and communications for the nation's largest public school system (1.1 million students) as NYC Deputy Chancellor

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — Named to Fast Company's AI20 list highlighting people expanding what AI can meaningfully accomplish
- **2024** — Continuing role as VP, Chief of Strategic Relationships in the Office of the Chair and CEO at Salesforce
- **2023** — Active on Bay Area Council, Glide Foundation, and California Academy of Sciences boards

## Links

- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/hydra-mendoza-78b78812
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hydra.mendoza.5/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/hydra-mendoza
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-16