Our Team
Amie Ashton
Executive Director
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
Claire Bailey
Associate Executive Director
Claire is a passionate social justice advocate with experience in climate activism, housing and environmental policy, and elections campaigning. Claire moved to the Bay Area from Australia in 2023. She was struck by the similarities between Australia and the US when it comes to housing supply, affordability, and transit issues. Claire is excited to build a strong team of volunteers who are ready to fight for diverse and equitable housing options in Palo Alto.
In her free time, Claire loves gardening, birding, climbing, and biking wherever she needs to go.
Max Quan
Social Media Manager
Max Quan is a rising senior at Gunn High School who has interests in music, games, and sports. Max has worked with the school board and Gunn PTSA on different occasions to help promote bike safety and usage throughout the community. He hopes to continue to be involved in the community through housing, transportation, and other issues.