Council Names Hanson Bridgett Managing Partner Kristina Lawson New Board Chair

The Bay Area Council this week announced the appointment of Kristina Lawson, Managing Partner of preeminent law firm Hanson Bridgett LLP, as Chair of the Council’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. Lawson succeeds Kausik Rajgopal, Executive Vice President, People and Sourcing for PayPal, and becomes the 41st Chair since the Council was founded in 1945. The ceremonial passing of the gavel will take place at the Annual Dinner and Business Hall of Fame on Dec. 5.

Lawson takes over as Chair at a critical time for the Bay Area Council and the region, as the organization works to address critical issues of crime and safety, housing, homelessness, transportation and climate resilience. As a member of the Executive Committee, Lawson previously served as Vice Chair of the organization and also co-chaired the Council’s Government Relations Committee, helping shape and guide theCouncil’s legislative agenda in Sacramento and Washington D.C., and working to deepen the Council’s relationships with the many state, local and federal elected leaders with whom we partner. 

“I’m honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to Chair the Bay Area Council,” said Lawson. “Kausik has done an outstanding job over the past two years and I’m excited to continue building on his great work. The Bay Area Council is the preeminent regional organization focused on making the Bay Area the best place to live and work, and I look forward to collaborating with our businesses and communities to strengthen this phenomenally innovative and successful region.”

“Kristina Lawson is an exceptional business and civic leader who has demonstrated throughout her life and career her deep commitment to making the Bay Area thegreatest region on the planet,” said Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. “We couldn’t be more fortunate to have a respected leader of Kristina’s stature, experience and knowledge take the helm of the Bay Area Council Board and move us and the larger business community forward in addressing the region’s biggest challenges. She continues a long tradition of great leadership that over 78 years has defined the Council’s history of proud civic engagement.”

Wunderman praised Rajgopal for his strong and steady leadership over the past two years, when the Council made major strides in winning housing reform legislation, stepped up to address rising concerns about crime and safety, took a leading role in efforts to restore economic vitality to downtowns, advocated for state funding to avoid a public transit fiscal cliff, opened our iconic new headquarters, the Klamath, and spearheaded important climate resilience and drought mitigation initiatives.