Meet the Team

Jennifer Malutta
Senior Director of Community and Government Relations
jennifer.malutta@sjsu.edu
408-924-1108

Jennifer Malutta serves as the Senior Director of Community and Government Relations, where she supervises a four-person team who are dedicated to creating meaningful partnerships and strategy in the areas of community relations, federal government relations, and racial justice and equity. She is a seasoned government relations specialist who is considered a go-to strategist for developing and implementing policy, advocacy, and communication strategies. She has extensive experience developing and advancing policy priorities and positioning them for success. She started out her political career working in the State Capitol for former Assembly Member Tom Torlakson. A San Jose native, Jennifer spent ten years in City Hall first working for Mayor Ron Gonzales as a deputy chief of staff and then as the chief of staff to a councilmember. She put out her own shingle and ran a political and communications firm for many years.

Edwin Tan
Director of Advocacy and Community Relations
edwin.tan@sjsu.edu
408-924-1090

Edwin Tan currently serves as the Special Advisor to the President and Director of Advocacy and Community Relations. In his role he works with neighborhoods, community-based organizations (e.g., nonprofits), business associations, and other non-governmental entities. His goal is to promote positive relationships between SJSU and the community, and more so make SJSU a go-to resource to partner with and serve the community. He has extensive experience working in the local community, previously he served as Director of Advocacy and Development for Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) a community health center and District Director and Senior Chief Advisor to Congressman Michael M. Honda. In those positions he worked on issues such as health care access, Asian Pacific Islander data disaggregation, educational equity, etc. Prior to moving to the Bay Area he was trained as a developmental psychologist and conducted research and taught at the University of California, Irvine and in Indonesia.

Ryan M. Ward
Director of Federal Relations
ryan.m.ward@sjsu.edu
408-924-1091

Ryan Ward currently serves as the Director of Advocacy and Federal Relations. In this role, Ryan engages with SJSU’s Congressional delegation and federal agencies around CSU and university priorities. His experience includes advocating on behalf of underserved communities in various capacities and for policies that positively impact community members. He has previously worked in Washington, DC at the Native American Finance Officers Association, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Aspen Institute, and the Native American Rights Fund. Ryan received his Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law and is a member of the Cowlitz Tribe in Washington State.