“Every time I return home to
the US, I come off the plane and
want to kiss the ground, thank-
ful that I live in the best place in
the world. Until you’ve travelled
abroad, it’s easy to take for
granted how beautiful this piece
of heaven we call California is. I
want to see our cities and towns
continue to evolve and grow, so
they can thrive.”
Sal Akhter
Project Manager
Cordoba Center Project
Sal Akhter is no stranger to C-level negotiations
and complex, multi-million dollar business deals and
he carries his business skills from Silicon Valley to his
community work in South County. Currently, he serves
as Director of Sales and Business Development for
StreetLight Data, a San Francisco-based startup focused
on machine learning and AI technology. Sal joined
StreetLight Data from Autodesk, where he served as a
Business Specialist for Global Strategic Partnerships for
the company’s Digital Manufacturing Group. Previously,
he was Vice President of Worldwide Sales with San
Jose-based Structural Soft, a company that specializes
in Building Information Modeling (BIM) software for
structural design of light frame buildings. Prior to that,
Sal consulted with Aexea Group on the fi rm’s business
development and go-to-market strategies; and before that
he led sales efforts in the Asia Pacifi c region for Cyber-
28
Guard, an enterprise network security products company.
Sal holds a Professional Certifi cate in Data Networks
from the University of California, Santa Cruz; and a BSEE
degree from Purdue University. In the early 2000s, Sal
joined the board of the South Valley Islamic Community
(SVIC), serving two terms as Board President. Based on
his experience in land development, he was appointed
Project Manager of the Cordoba Center Project in late
2005. The SVIC had purchased a 15.8-acre parcel of
land in San Martin intending to develop the Cordoba
Center, to provide the region’s Muslim community with
a permanent multi-use religious and cultural center. Sal
and his wife Nadi, a former school teacher, live in the
San Martin-Gilroy area. He is a strong proponent of high-
quality education and community service, values that he
has instilled in his three adult children.