Silvia Mahan

Silvia Scandar Mahan is the President and CEO of Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School, a Catholic college-preparatory institution in San Jose's East Side that integrates professional work experience into its curriculum for students from underserved communities. A Harvard economics graduate and Georgetown Law alumna, she came to education through a winding path that took her from Skadden Arps to e-commerce entrepreneurship to social impact filmmaking, before finding her calling advocating for educational equity. Named a 2022 Silicon Valley Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree and Woman of Influence, she leads a school where 98% of students enroll in college and 100+ corporate partners — from Cisco to NVIDIA to Kaiser Permanente — employ students one day per week to fund up to 50% of their tuition.