John Albert Sobrato

John Albert Sobrato is the founder and Board Chair Emeritus of The Sobrato Organization, one of the most successful private real estate firms in California. His career in real estate dates back to 1958, when he began selling homes in Palo Alto at age 18 while attending Santa Clara University. He soon became the first salesperson in the Palo Alto Real Estate Board to be named to the Million Dollar Club.

At age 21, after his graduation with a business degree, he founded Midtown Realty, specializing in the resale of Eichler Homes. During the mid ‘60s, he expanded into commercial development working with his mother, Carl Berg and other investors. The Sobrato Development Company was formed over a decade before the area became known as Silicon Valley.

In 1974, he sold his interest in Midtown Realty, moved to Cupertino, and concentrated on developing industrial properties for the emerging high technology industry. Since its founding, The Sobrato Organization has developed over 17,500,000 square feet of R&D and office buildings and 5,000 apartment units. Today, the firm holds 6,300,000 square feet of office and R&D and 7,500 apartment units, 100% owned by the Sobrato Family without institutional partners.

As the family’s assets expanded, their commitment to giving back became formalized as the Sobrato Family Foundation, now part of the family’s array of philanthropic vehicles united under Sobrato Philanthropies. Sobrato Philanthropies has donated cash, real estate, and free office space totaling over $1.3 billion dollars since its inception in 1996. Today, 58 nonprofit agencies receive free office space in Sobrato Centers for Nonprofits totaling 350,000 square feet in Milpitas, San Jose, and Redwood City, and Palo Alto.

In 2007, the Sobrato Family Foundation was named the Foundation of the Year by the National Association of Nonprofits, among the more than one hundred and seventy-five foundations nominated for the coveted award. In 2013, the Sobrato Family Foundation was named the number one grantor in Northern California by the San Francisco Business Times. Every year since 2013, Sobrato has been named the number first or second most generous corporation in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal ahead of Cisco, Intel, Wells Fargo Bank, Google, and other major high-tech companies.

In 2018, John A. and his wife Susan (Sue) Sobrato, along with their son John Michael and his wife Timi Sobrato, became the first multi-generational signatories of the Giving Pledge. In 2025, John and Sue’s daughter Lisa Sobrato Sonsini and her husband Matthew Sonsini also signed the Giving Pledge.

John Albert has always said his greatest joy and hope for the future resides with his family. He and Sue have been married since 1960. They have three children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Organizational Affiliations
Past President, Palo Alto Real Estate Board; Trustee, University of Santa Clara; Regent Emeritus, Bellarmine High School; Past President, St Francis High School Foundation; Board Emeritus, United Way; and Board Emeritus, Valley Medical Center. Board member Parents Helping Parents, Job Train, Bay Area Council, and Ravenswood Family Health Center. Vice-Chair, Latino Education Advancement Foundation that operates three high schools in East San Jose. Co-Chair, Real Estate Trust of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Awards and Recognition
Honorary Doctorate Santa Clara University and the National Hispanic University; Junior Achievement Hall of Fame 1989; United Way De Tocqueville Man of the Year 1994; National Conference for Community and Justice Man of the Year 1998; National Society of Fund Raising Executives Philanthropist of the Year 1998; Santa Clara Council Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen 2000; Peninsula Boys and Girls Club Leading Citizen 2006; City Year Leadership Award 2008; NAIOP Developer of the Decade 2008; Joint Venture Silicon Valley David Packard Civic Entrepreneur 2012; Lifetime Achievement Award by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group 2015; 2018 Golden Hard Hat Award by Santa Clara University; Bay Area Council Business Hall of Fame 2019; Bay Area Council 2020 Business Hall of Fame designee; 2020 William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership; 2021 Pioneer Award by the Silicon Valley Business Journal; 2022 Padrino Award by Mission Asset Fund; 2023 Silicon Valley Power 100 by Silicon Valley Business Journal; and 2023 Notre Dame Award for Outstanding Contributions to Catholic Education by the Alliance for Catholic Education