Judy Kleinberg, an attorney and former Palo Alto mayor, has joined the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as program director for San Jose and Silicon Valley, the organization said in a news release.

Kleinberg who started her career as a private attorney and reporter at Channel 2, “will work with local leaders to identify and invest in opportunities for fostering an informed and engaged San Jose and Silicon Valley region,” the release said.

“Judy brings an entrepreneurial vision and deep networks to Knight Foundation – both of which will be critical to helping create transformational change,” said Trabian Shorters, the foundation’s vice president for communities.

Journalists might be familiar with Kleinberg’s husband, James, a superior court judge in Santa Clara County who ruled in 2005 that California’s shield law did not apply to bloggers, and that Apple could subpoena the files of online journalists who revealed information about the company’s new products. An appeals court reversed the ruling.