Laurel Prevetti is the Town Manager for the Town of Los Gatos. As its chief executive and administrative officer, she leads the town organization in the delivery of exceptional municipal services; listens to the community’s needs and responds accordingly; and supports the Town Council in its budgetary, land-use, and other local decisions.
Prior to serving with the Town of Los Gatos, Laurel worked for over 25 years for the City of San Jose. Her career in local government demonstrates a passion for public service particularly focused on meaningful public engagement, government transparency, sound decision-making, and innovative service delivery. She has also led many community-based planning efforts involving sustainability, environmental protection, economic vitality, and the development of vibrant, mixed-use places.
Laurel’s passion for sound land-use planning, livable communities, and vibrant open spaces began with her first career in tropical resource management. After working in the Brazilian Amazon studying the impact of deforestation on tropical forest ecology, she worked in Central America for the Organization for Tropical Studies and was the initial author of a Master’s level textbook on sustainable agroforestry systems.
She obtained her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley.
For recreation, Laurel and her family enjoy many outdoor activities in beautiful natural settings around the world, especially in the Bay Region and California.