Pat Burt

Patrick (Pat) John Burt (born December 13, 1951) is an American businessman, environmental leader and politician. He served two terms on the Palo Alto, CA City Council from 2008 through 2016, twice as Mayor (2010 and 2016). Burt previously served on the Planning and Transportation Commission for nine years.
Burt founded Acteron Corp and was CEO for 25 years. The Silicon Valley provider of advanced technology manufacturing services was acquired by Flextronics in 2010. He also served as an advisor on environmental policy at regional, state and national levels. Subsequently, he was CEO of Vascular Access Technologies, acquired by Merit Medical, and was co-founder/CEO of Theradep Technologies. He is currently an angel investor and an advisor to early stage companies.
Early life
Burt was born in San Luis Obispo, CA to a family of teachers. They moved to the Bay Area in 1952 where his father, Tom Burt, was hired in 1956 as the founding football coach at Los Altos High School. His mother, Katy Malloy, became a mentor elementary school teacher in Cupertino, CA, while also serving as a local Democratic Party activist.
Burt attended John F. Kennedy Middle School in Cupertino, CA, became an Eagle Scout, and then attended Homestead High School in Cupertino. He met his wife, Sally Bemus, while both studied as English majors at UC Santa Barbara, where he was an intercollegiate athlete. They moved to Palo Alto in 1980.
Professional life
In 1984, Burt founded and was CEO from 1984 to 2010 of Acteron Corp, a high-tech manufacturing company in San Carlos, CA serving the semiconductor and medical device industries, acquired by Flextronics in 2010. Burt and the company received multiple environmental awards for environmentally sustainable manufacturing. Burt led as CEO at two medical device start-ups: Vascular Access Technologies from 2011 to 2013, acquired by Merit Medical, and TheraDep Technologies from 2015 to 2019. He currently serves as an advisor to early-stage companies Swiftmile and Silver Bullet Therapeutics, and is on the advisory board of the United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF).
Burt has been an environmental policy leader at regional, state, and national levels, serving on Sustainable San Mateo County as Vice-Chair, the Santa Clara County Pollution Prevention Committee, Pollution Prevention Task Force, CalEPA Comparative Risk Project, and California Environmental Technology Partnership.
Political life
In 1994, Burt was elected President of the University South Neighborhoods Group and in that capacity served on the South of Forest Area Plan Working Group from 1996 to 1998. He was appointed to the Planning and Transportation Commission in 1998 where he served for nine years, including two terms as chair. He was elected to the City Council in 2007 and re-elected in 2012. While on the council, Burt led on fiscal management, environmental and climate protection, emergency preparedness, transportation, infrastructure investment, and regional collaboration.
Burt's community contributions include support of public/private partnerships to modernize and expand civic facilities including the Palo Alto Art Center, Jr Museum and Zoo, Children's Library, park improvements, Avenidas senior center, Magical Bridge Playground, and Ada's Café..
Burt was elected mayor of Palo Alto in 2010 during the city's recovery from the Great Recession, and again in 2016. He chaired the Finance, Policy and Services, Rail, City/School Committees, and served on the Santa Clara County Emergency Preparedness Council, San Francisco Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA), Caltrain Local Policy Makers Group (LPMG), Peninsula Cities Consortium on rail, and Advanced Water Recycling Committee.
On June 11, 2020, Burt declared his candidacy for the Palo Alto City Council.

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