Ana Moon
Moraga Citizen of the Year 2026

There’s a certain kind of person every town quietly relies on. The one who shows up, pulls others in, and keeps things moving without making it about themselves. In Moraga, that person is Ana Moon.

She doesn’t lead with titles, though there are plenty. She leads with proximity, being there, again and again, wherever the work happens.

Ana grew up in Pleasanton in a family that balanced precision and care. Her father was an orthodontist, her mother later taught English at Los Positas. She attended public schools from kindergarten through high school, then Georgetown for her undergraduate degree, followed by UC Berkeley School of Law. She married her husband, Eric, in 2002, built a career in estate planning, and eventually shifted her focus closer to home as their family grew. Today, Eric is an attorney at Atheria Law, their son Andy is a sophomore at the University of Puget Sound, and their daughter Abigail is an eighth grader at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate.

Moraga entered the picture in 2010. Like many families, the draw was the schools. What followed was a deeper understanding of how those schools actually function, and who keeps them going.

It started simply. A kindergarten classroom at Rheem. Then more. PTA, room parent years, Fall Picnic chair, School Site Council. The kind of steady involvement that builds trust over time. From there came an invitation that would shift the scale of her work. Heather Davis asked Ana to join the Moraga Education Foundation board.

She said yes, and stayed.

Secretary. Communications Chair for multiple years. Vice President. Then President from 2021 to 2023. In 2024, she and Davis stepped in as Co-Executive Directors when the organization needed continuity. The throughline is not ambition, it is commitment. When something matters, Ana leans in.

What she found at MEF sharpened her focus. Moraga’s schools, widely seen as high-performing, operate with some of the lowest per-pupil funding in California. The gap is real, and it is largely filled by the community itself through local parcel taxes and direct contributions.

“Our schools don’t have a budget problem. They have a funding problem.”

Moraga ranks near the bottom statewide in public funding. Without local investment, the system changes quickly. Programs shrink. Opportunities narrow. Families begin to look elsewhere.

Her work has extended into advocacy. She served on the Measure M committee in 2019 and later chaired Measure D in 2024, a bond measure that funded facility upgrades, safety improvements, and technology. She is currently involved with Measure I. Each campaign required organization, but also conversation, meeting people where they are, explaining what is at stake, and listening when there is disagreement.

Years earlier, in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, Ana helped lead a local effort to pass a safe firearm storage ordinance in Moraga. It took two years and required navigating a wide range of perspectives. The experience shaped how she approaches community work now. Do the research. Engage openly. Find common ground where you can.

Outside of policy and fundraising, her involvement has been personal in a different way. She coached her daughter’s preschool soccer team, led a Girl Scout troop from kindergarten through fifth grade, taught Faith Formation at St. Perpetua, and served as program parent for Campo baseball when her son was on the team. These are part of the fabric of how she shows up.

Ask her what she’s most proud of, and she doesn’t point to any of it. She talks about her kids, carefully, almost sidestepping the question. Not as an accomplishment, but as something she feels lucky to witness.

If there is a philosophy behind how Ana works, it can be traced back to a single coffee meeting. Shortly after moving to Moraga, she was invited by Edy Schwartz, a longtime community leader and Moraga’s 2010 Citizen of the Year. Edy talked about the town’s history and how much of it was built by volunteers, then offered a simple invitation. Find what matters to you and get involved.

Ana took that seriously. She also noticed something else. People often do not step in because no one asked.

So she asks.

That instinct shows up in her current work with MEF as well. This year, the organization is shifting how it approaches giving, moving away from fixed per-student requests and focusing instead on transparency. The goal is to clearly explain the funding gap and allow families to contribute in a way that makes sense for them. Every donation, at any level, makes a difference.

For Ana, the bigger picture is always in view. Strong public schools shape the rhythm of a town. She points to the morning bus stop outside her house, where kids, parents, and even dogs gather before the school day begins. A small ritual, but a meaningful one.

Her message to Moraga is straightforward. This place works because people invest in it, not just financially, but with time, energy, and attention. That legacy does not continue on its own.

She feels lucky to be here. And clear about what comes next. It is on this generation to carry it forward.