Pedro Galvao, a Terner Center Policy Fellow, is founder and Principal of Luminaria, a policy strategy and government affairs consulting firm. He has extensive experience shaping California housing policy—including, most recently, leading the creation of the California Housing and Homelessness Agency, the first standalone cabinet-level agency dedicated to housing and homelessness in the state. 

He served as the Deputy Director of Legislation at the California Department of Housing and Community Development, where he reviewed hundreds of housing bills and advised the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom on whether to sign or veto these laws. 

Before that, as Policy Director of the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California, Pedro led the organization’s policy and regulatory work, successfully advancing landmark Surplus Land Act reforms that have unlocked 42,000+ homes including 26,500+ affordable homes to date.

As an immigrant from Brazil, Pedro is committed to building a California where everyone has a place to call home. He holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Politics and French Literature from Whitman College.