Assistant City Manager
(408) 586-3053
Ashwini Kantak’s combined educational and professional experience reveal her passion and commitment to influencing positive change in local government. Her career is illuminated by her steadfast leadership in the development and implementation of citywide policies and programs related to infrastructure, economic growth and environmental sustainability. Ashwini dedicated over 16 years of her professional life with the City of San Jose in various leadership roles in Public Works, City Manager’s Office, and Environmental Services. Prior to her joining the City of San Jose, she worked in the private sector for 10 years as a project architect for large hospitality ventures and residential projects.
As Assistant City Manager, she is focused on the practical, daily responsibilities of running a city and long-range programs that will benefit Milpitas residents. Holding the second-in-command position in the City administration, Ashwini guides the different departments in working proactively toward exceeding their performance goals and counsels the various teams on problem-solving complex issues. Ashwini is very committed to making the City of Milpitas a great place to work and has spearheaded citywide training and mentoring programs and various technology and process improvements during her two-year tenure in Milpitas.
Ashwini has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture and a graduate degree in Public Policy and Administration. She is a licensed architect in California since 1997 and a LEED Accredited professional. Ashwini has also completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard. Ashwini currently serves on the board of Women Leading Government.
Originally from Mumbai, India, Ashwini speaks English, Hindi and Marathi.
Deputy City Manager
(408) 586-3012
Matt Cano has more than 24 years of public sector experience, having worked in various roles in the departments of Transportation, Parks and recreation, and Public Works as well as in the City Manager’s Office in the City of San Jose.
As Deputy City Manager, Matt leads citywide initiatives that will help shape the future of the City of Milpitas. He provides ongoing strategic counsel to support the City Manager, City Council, and Department Heads.
Matt is a licensed Civil Engineer and earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from San Jose State University and a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University. Matt is a Bay Area native and currently lives in Fremont with his wife and their two sons. Matt enjoys running and hiking on the various trails throughout the area and spending time with his family.
Public Information Officer
(408) 586-3055
Charmaine is a seasoned brand strategist and communications specialist with a wealth of corporate, government and non-profit marketing experience. She comes to the City of Milpitas from a recent assignment with the U.S. Census Bureau managing community outreach and media partnership engagement with Northern California hard-to-reach audiences. She also spent 15 years with a national marketing and public relations agency focused on making relevant connections with multicultural, geographic, behavioral and generational audiences utilizing essential communication channels.
A strong proponent of Diversity and Inclusion, Charmaine acknowledges that the practice is an organizational imperative and not just a soft business program. As the City of Milpitas’ Public Information Officer, Charmaine serves as the brand ambassador to external audiences and City employees.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Charmaine is bilingual. She speaks and write fluent English and Tagalog. She graduated from Northwestern University with a Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and completed her certificate program in Human Resource Management from the University of California, Berkeley in 2020.