Vice Mayor Yan Zhao

Yan Zhao was elected to the Saratoga City Council in 2018 and served as Mayor in 2021. Prior to her election, she served on the Saratoga Madronia Cemetery District as a member of Board of Trustees for 4 years, and served as the Chair in 2018.  Prior to this commitment, she served 8 years on the Saratoga Planning Commission and one year as the Chair.

Yan Zhao holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a Master’s Degree from Santa Clara University in Electrical Engineering. She has worked in the semiconductor industry for over 23 years, working in various fields within the industry from an Analog IC design engineer, to technical marketing, business development, and most recently, in sales.

Yan, her husband, Tri Hong, three children and her mother have lived in Saratoga since 1998. All three of her children attended Saratoga public schools, with her youngest daughter still currently attending Saratoga High School. 

Yan has more than 15 years of history of serving Saratoga as a volunteer. She served as a Board Member and Treasurer of the Saratoga Elementary PTA, Student Art Chair for the Saratoga Rotary Art Show, a volunteer Referee for the American Youth Soccer Organization, and a volunteer for the Saratoga Historical Foundation, annual Fourth of July Celebration, and Hakone Garden’s Lunar New Year celebration.

In addition to her service in the Saratoga community, Yan has also served 9 years on the Commission on the Status of Women in the County of Santa Clara. When she has time outside of work and serving the City, she enjoys running, hiking, playing basketball and playing bridge.

Assignments

• Cities Association of Santa Clara County - Legislative Action Committee
• Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Authority Alternate
• Saratoga Ministerial Association