Our Team
Jeremy Levine
Executive Director
Jeremy brings more than five years of experience as a housing advocate across the Bay Area and the Peninsula to Palo Alto Forward, where he organizes support for affordable housing, accessible transportation, and sustainable infrastructure.
He began his land use career in his hometown of Lafayette, California, where he founded the volunteer organization Inclusive Lafayette to help the city undergo the first rezoning for more affordable homes in its history. Jeremy still continues to work with the Housing Leadership County, where he has spent the last several years advancing pro-housing, pro-tenant policies in all 20 cities of San Mateo.
When he’s not attending city council meetings for work and recreation, Jeremy can be found hiking in hills around the Bay Area, foraging for mushrooms and berries, strumming a stringed instrument, or killing it on the mic at karaoke. You can reach Jeremy at palo.alto.fwd@gmail.com or set up a meeting with him directly at https://calendly.com/paloaltoforward.
Staff Emeriti
Amie Ashton
Executive Director Emeritus
Amie Ashton is a passionate housing advocate, bicycling evangelist, environmentalist, and urbanist. In a professional capacity, Amie is a recovering CEQA practitioner, environmental planner, and project manager who works on housing and mixed-use developments throughout the Bay Area. She is Board Chair of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and leverages her connections with city staff and partners in the development world to educate and capitalize on the link between high-density housing development and bicycling. Amie has lived in Palo Alto since 2008. Her first job after graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara was with the City of Palo Alto Planning Department, where she obtained an in-depth education on the local development process. When not talking about housing, Amie can be found outdoors hiking, camping, skiing, gardening, and bicycling.
Contact Amie at info@paloaltoforward.com
R. Elysa Gurman
Community Builder Emeritus
Elysa Gurman (she/they) is working to make the world a better place, which often happens through community organizing. She is the Founder and Director of Santa Clara Housing Advocates, a Group of residents advocating within the City of Santa Clara for sustainable and practical solutions to the housing crisis. Elysa claims to not be a “campaign staffer”, but for the 2024 cycle she worked on 3 local campaigns for pro-housing candidates and formerly worked with PAF to implement the Homes for Everyone? Yes! campaign. Previously she worked in DC, focusing on a variety of issues including criminal justice reform, the success of the nonprofit sector, progressive perspectives of international relations, and working in both the House and the Senate. She participated in the 2020 BLM protests in DC, and worked on the 2018 Nevada Democratic Coordinated Campaign.
Outside of work, Elysa volunteers as a BBYO Advisor with Jewish teens, uses her chronic illness as a punchline to jokes, snuggles her guinea pigs, and keeps up to date with the latest news on Harry Styles.