About
Building the next great American city
Located 40 miles north of San Francisco, the new city creates an economic engine for Solano County, and restores California’s legacy as a place that can build anything.
The new city includes Solano Foundry, the largest manufacturing park in America, the Solano Shipyard, the largest shipyard in America, and Solano Living, the first walkable city built in a 100 years, with a vibrant downtown, great streets and parks, and homes of all types in walkable neighborhoods.
Team
Anders Engnell
Chief of Staff
Andreas Lieber
General Manager, Industry and Technology
Anyé Spivey
Director of Development Planning
B.H. Bronson Johnson
Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability
Bob Megary
Union Ambassador
Celina Perez
Community Ambassador
Gabriel Metcalf
Head of Planning
Jan Sramek
Founder & CEO
Jay Primus
Director of Transportation
Jen Fox
Senior Project Manager, Planning
Jennifer Chaides
Executive Assistant
Jim Wunderman
Head of Public Affairs
Julia Blystone
Head of Communications
Justin Esch
Head of Business Development
Matthew Bidou
Ranch Manager
Michael Fortney
Head of Partnerships
Naytri Sramek
Advisor
Tanya Marietta Powell
Ambassador
Anders Engnell
Chief of Staff
Anders’s community development journey started in southeastern Michigan. For 5 years, he led a nonprofit called Leaders of the Future that built parks, orchards, and community hubs. There, Anders experienced firsthand how impactful collaboration can be in a community.
For the last five years prior to joining California Forever, Anders led the planning and construction of Culdesac Tempe in Arizona. The completed first phase empowers over 200 residents to live in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with an onsite grocery store and next door light rail station.
Andreas Lieber
General Manager, Industry and Technology
Andreas Lieber began his career in London leading product management teams at T-Mobile, before relocating to sunny California in 2005. His journey continued at Yahoo, Groupon, and Pinterest, where he led teams focusing on their mobile technologies, international business growth, and global partnerships. Andreas held SVP / C-level roles at Postmates and Uber and most recently was Chief Operating Officer at Shippo where he focused on operations and revenue. Having made California his home for two decades, Andreas is excited to leverage his extensive expertise for the betterment of the community at California Forever.
Anyé Spivey
Director of Development Planning
Anyé Spivey is a Bay Area native with 20 years of experience directing large mixed-use urban master-planned communities, standalone high-density urban infill housing, and tax-exempt infrastructure financing. Over the course of his career, he has worked on several of the largest developments in the Bay Area including the Hunter’s Point Shipyard, Candlestick Point, and the Oakland A’s Howard Terminal project.
Anyé has served on a number of boards over the years and has chosen to focus primarily on education and affordable housing. He currently serves on UCSF’s Campus Facilities Improvement Association board and is a member of ULI’s Urban Development Mixed Use Council and Lambda Alpha International.
B.H. Bronson Johnson
Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability
B.H. Bronson Johnson is a licensed engineer who sees a more sustainable future through infrastructure. In leadership roles at Next Infrastructure, Sidewalk Labs, Forest City, and Lennar Urban, he has leveraged his technical know-how to direct the planning and delivery of many transformative projects. Bronson holds advanced degrees in engineering and geosciences from Cornell University.
As someone who was a long time renter in the Bay Area with three children, he believes our best hope is to build our way out of both the housing and climate crises. He looks forward to working with the people of Solano County to build the most sustainable city in the world, bringing the mojo back to California, and showing the world a better way forward.
Bob Megary
Union Ambassador
Bob Megary is a longtime Fairfield-Suisun resident, a dedicated motorcyclist, and a retired Ironworker.
A member of the Million Mile Club, his ironwork has taken him throughout the Bay Area.
His commutes were often between 1 to 2 hours each way, so he's on a mission to bring good-paying jobs back to Solano so future generations can spend more time with family and less time on the road.
Celina Perez
Community Ambassador
Celina Perez is a dedicated community leader and the founder of First Chance Vallejo, where she provides essential resources to underserved populations. Celina serves as a Juvenile Justice Commissioner for Solano County and as Chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Vallejo Post 1123, offering support to local veterans.
Celina holds three degrees from the University of Maryland Global Campus and is a proud military police veteran. A devoted mother of two, she brings her passion for service and extensive experience to her hometown of Vallejo.
Gabriel Metcalf
Head of Planning
Gabriel Metcalf is a city planner who has dedicated his career to helping cities become more livable, sustainable, and inclusive. For many years, he served as the President and CEO of SPUR, an urban policy think tank for the San Francisco Bay Area. Most recently, he was the CEO of the Committee for Sydney, a research and advocacy organization that provides vision, strategy, and advocacy for Australia’s largest city.
Gabriel’s work has focused on housing policy, climate change, economic development, transportation, and government effectiveness. He has been interested in new cities as a growth management strategy since first learning about the British new town movement in his introduction to planning history at UC Berkeley, where he earned a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning.
Jan Sramek
Founder & CEO
Jan Sramek is the Founder & CEO of California Forever, a company building the next great American city, and the first major new city built in America since the 1960s. Between 2016 and 2023, Jan was the founder and sole employee as the company raised over a billion dollars and acquired nearly 70,000 acres (~110 square miles) in Solano County, an hour north of Silicon Valley.
Today, California Forever is creating a new place for California to build again with a city that includes the Solano Foundry, the largest advanced manufacturing park in America, Solano Shipyard, sized to become the largest shipbuilding complex in America, and a new walkable city for up to 400,000 residents.
Earlier in his career, Jan read Mathematics and Economics at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the London School of Economics, worked as a trader at Goldman Sachs, and started two education companies. Born in Central Europe on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Jan believes in America and California that build the future, like we always have.
Jay Primus
Director of Transportation
Jay Primus is an urbanist and transportation planner focused on reducing emissions, improving economic vitality, and helping transportation – and cities – be more delightful. For seven years, Jay managed parking in San Francisco, including a groundbreaking demonstration of how better pricing and information can make parking work better. SFpark remains a rare example of how cities can use data to make better decisions, improve operations, manage contracts, reduce costs, and deliver social benefits. In an earlier role, Jay led the design of San Francisco’s first bus rapid transit project.
Jay was inspired by early experience in Curitiba, Brazil and Bogata, Colombia, cities that met urgent and overwhelming social problems with creativity, clarity, courage, and respect for people’s dignity.
Jen Fox
Senior Project Manager, Planning
Jen is an urbanist dedicated to building more sustainable, equitable, and resilient communities.
Her work has focused on clean energy, sustainable transport, climate mitigation, and low-carbon development. She studied urban planning and economics at MIT, a short bike ride away from her family in Massachusetts.
Jennifer Chaides
Executive Assistant
Jennifer Chaides is a Solano County native who spent the last 11 years working for some of the largest local healthcare organizations. Most recently, Jennifer was the Executive Assistant to CEO and CFO at Canopy Health. Jennifer graduated with a BA in Business Administration and Healthcare Management and MBA from Western Governors University.
As a lifelong Vacaville resident, Jennifer has witnessed the transformation of Vacaville from a small town to the thriving community it is today. Together with her husband Roberto, they purchased their first home in Vacaville to stay close to family while they raise their own. Jennifer is excited to be part of a team that’s building a better future for Solano County.
Jim Wunderman
Head of Public Affairs
Jim Wunderman’s role as Head of Public Affairs at California Forever is the natural culmination of a career dedicated to enhancing Northern California’s place on the world stage and improving the quality of life for its residents, from economic development, to infrastructure, and housing.
Jim joined the company after his 22-year tenure as the President and CEO of the Bay Area Council, where he transformed the organization into a regional powerhouse, securing billions in funding for housing, transportation, and climate resilience, while advocating for a more integrated Northern California megaregion. He also serves as Chairman of the San Francisco Bay Ferry System and has held board roles at several major Bay Area institutions.
His storied career spans the highest levels of government and industry, including serving as Chief of Staff to San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan, and as a senior advisor to Mayor Dianne Feinstein. In the private sector, he held executive roles at Providian Financial Corporation and Recology. A graduate of San Francisco State University, Wunderman also shares his expertise as a Visiting Professor at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.
Julia Blystone
Head of Communications
Julia Blystone has been working in Communications in the Bay Area for 25 years. She has developed and executed successful PR campaigns for companies ranging from fast-growth start-ups to Fortune 500s. Most recently, she was at Slack, where she was the first in-house PR person, and helped build and lead the Comms team through the company's Direct Public Listing and eventual acquisition by Salesforce.
Julia was born in Saigon, raised in London, and went to college in Vermont, but she has found her spiritual home in the astonishing natural beauty of California.
Justin Esch
Head of Business Development
Justin Esch was raised in a small town in Colorado, the experience of growing up in a rural county (pop 5,204) shaped his perspective on what it takes to build a strong community. Before joining California Forever, Justin led Partnerships and Business Development for some of the fastest-growing companies of the last decade, including Uber, Postmates, and Turo. In these roles, Justin was focused on creating first-of-kind partnerships that created tremendous value for everyone involved.
Justin has negotiated partnerships with dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including Apple, Google, Visa, Mastercard, AEG, HBO, Paramount Pictures, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as with major US professional sports leagues and teams, such as the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). Justin is excited to apply the same win-win mentality to bringing new employers, entertainment, and other key institutions to Solano County.
Matthew Bidou
Ranch Manager
Matthew Bidou grew up in Benicia, California, and graduated from St. Patrick’s High School in Vallejo. Matthew went on to serve two enlistments in the United States Army as an Infantry man and then a career in law enforcement, 26 years with the Solano County Sheriff Office and 13 years as a reserve Police Officer with the City of Rio Vista. Matthew for 4 years was the director of athletics at Vanden HS. Matthew has served on the Rio Vista City Council and is currently serving on the Travis Unified School District School Board as the Board President. Between the City of Rio Vista and Vacaville Matthew has over 25 years as a youth sports coach.
As Ranch Manager, Matthew works with our ranching, farming and residential tenants to steward and protect 65,000+ acres of our lands in southeastern Solano County.
Michael Fortney
Head of Partnerships
As a native to Solano County with over 30 years of experience in real estate and community service, Michael Fortney's excited to join California Forever.
As the Director of Partnerships, he’ll work with private and public stakeholders to create a dynamic new city with well-paid jobs in new industries and affordable homes in walkable neighborhoods for future generations. He's driven by a strong sense of purpose and commitment to strengthen communities and improving lives. He's always eager to learn, collaborate, and innovate with others who share the same vision and love for Solano County.
Naytri Sramek
Advisor
Naytri advises on operations at California Forever including government relations and brand marketing. Most recently, Naytri served on the executive team at GitHub as Chief of Staff to the CEO leading operations and community projects after its acquisition by Microsoft in 2018. Prior to that, she was a product and finance executive in technology companies, including leading international business development and investor relations at Palantir Technologies. She also serves as board director at Grove Collaborative which is creating plastic-free products for a more sustainable future.
Naytri lived the California Dream after her parents came to Los Angeles in the 1980s – when a working family could buy their first home for about $100,000, and access some of the nation’s best public schools. She believes California’s abundant optimism empowered millions of Americans to build a better life and wants to continue that promise for generations to come.
Tanya Marietta Powell
Ambassador
Tanya is a 10-year resident of Solano County who relocated here for her career as the CFO at a locally headquartered national distribution company. Born and raised in Chicago, Tanya has lived in New York and San Francisco, and appreciates the best of what a densely populated, walkable city life can offer.
As a foodie, Tanya enjoys ballet, hiking, and yoga for exercise. When it comes to sports, she’s a spectator and loves them all in live action. Tanya’s faith and neighbors are very important to her, and she works with several nonprofits to support faith, healthy outcomes, and cultural arts in the community.
Tanya believes the California Forever project will provide much-needed tax revenue to Solano County, deliver housing at all levels of affordability, support businesses, ensure proper infrastructure, utilize green and environmentally efficient technology, and complement its seven sister cities. The plan aims to provide access to entertainment, food, public safety, recreation, arts, the arts, retail, education, religious institutions, cultural attractions, healthcare, philanthropy, and good-paying jobs, enhancing the quality of life and inspiring community unity.
Collaborators
SITELAB urban studio
Urban Design
CAW Architects
School architecture
HPA
Industrial planning
CMG
Landscape Architecture
Second Nature
Ecological science and planning
Fehr & Peers
Transportation
Mark Thomas
Transportation
Steinberg Hart
Parking design
CBG
Civil Engineering
EKI
Water Supply Planning
ENGEO
Geotechnical, Hydrology, GIS, and Hazmat
NEXT Infrastructure
Infrastructure
WSP
Solid waste
Introba
Energy
Power Systems Design
Electrical Engineering & Design
Dudek
Fire & safety
JLL
Advanced manufacturing
CBRE
Retail
DPFG
Financial planning
EPS
Economic analysis
Holland & Knight
Land Use and Environmental Law
Perkins Coie
Mapping and energy law
Best Best & Krieger
Water use law
BUSS
Infrastructure & Sustainability
Investors
Our investors are individuals and institutions who believe California’s best days are still ahead. Like with other companies they invested in, they are passive investors without daily involvement. We appreciate their long-term partnership.
Marc Andreessen
John Collison
Patrick Collison
Chris Dixon
John Doerr
Nat Friedman
Daniel Gross
Thomas Mather
Michael Moritz
Charles Songhurst
California, let's build the next great American city
We will not proceed without demonstrating that this project has broad public support
