Zulma Maciel

Director, Office of Racial Equity, City of San José

Zulma Maciel is the Director of San Jose’s newly created Office of Racial Equity, where she aims to institutionalize equity and support sustainable, transformational change so that, ultimately, Black and Brown communities experience better outcomes. Her diverse leadership experiences, track record of authentic community partnerships, results-driven approach, and commitment to racial justice has enabled Zulma to live out her calling in this new role.

Zulma has served the public for over two decades in various capacities, such as, policy development, administration, and management of a $15M grant portfolio. In 2015, she became the first Director of San Jose’s Office of Immigrant Affairs committed to creating an environment of belonging and service to immigrants and refugees. Collaboratively with community partners, Zulma developed the City’s first Welcoming San Jose Plan that outlined an ambitious set of goals and strategies in service of immigrants and refugees.

In her spare time, Zulma volunteers on local non-profit boards and regularly enjoys hiking and Pilates. Zulma is binational (México and US citizen), bilingual, and bicultural. She earned a B.A in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.