NCG Board

Jeff Malloy is the chief operating officer and treasurer at the Heising-Simons Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2015, Jeff served as the director of finance and administration for the James Irvine Foundation, the general manager of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater…Read More >

Lakshmi guides the vision and direction to ensure overall alignment and success in Genentech’s philanthropy. She manage two entities – private foundation and corporate giving - that operate under distinct governance and management structures at Genentech. 

Prior to joining Genentech Lakshmi served as a Senior Global Strategies Advisor to The Hero Group, Director of Global Strategy at Riders for Health, a high-impact social enterprise that develops sustainable and cost effective transportation in sub-Saharan Africa as a means to health access, and Director of Impact Assessment, Learning, and Utilization at the Skoll Foundation.  She is also an Adjunct Professor of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, and a board member/advisor to several nonprofit organizations.  

Lakshmi holds a PhD in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, A Masters in Computer Science and Systems Management from the National Institute of Information Technology, and a B.Sc. in Mathematics from Madras University.

Sara Davis is Director of the Grants Management department at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring that grantmaking operations, practices…Read More >

Carol Ting is Chief Operating Officer of the Pisces Foundation. As COO, Carol is responsible for translating vision and strategy into effective operations and management…Read More >

Fred Blackwell is a visionary leader working to ensure shared prosperity, innovation, and equity in the Bay Area. As CEO of The San Francisco Foundation, he leads one of the largest community foundations in the country, working hand-in-hand with donors… Read More >

Roger has been an activist and leader in the LGBT movement for more than 25 years, and he has led Horizons Foundation since 2002. Prior to joining the foundation, he served as the Executive Director of Horizons Community Services in Chicago… Read More >

Prior to joining Knight, Harris was a principal of StorySocial, a creative design studio in Washington, D.C. In that role, he helped businesses, cities, foundations and brands more effectively collect and share their stories online and in person to build stronger communities... Read More >

Allison has worked for the City and County of San Francisco, where she has served as a leader in strengthening services for system-involved youth and their families. Her recent work as Deputy Director of the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department includes the development of a national model for juvenile justice system reform. She also worked to build a local network of partnerships with San Francisco's community service providers. 

Allison has extensive experience in both the public and nonprofit sectors, and she has been recognized for her efforts locally and nationally. She holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration and a Master's Degree in Social Work from Columbia University. She was also awarded a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University. 

Sandra has over twenty years experience in executive management, with experience in philanthropy, government and the nonprofit sector. She has extensive policy experience at national and local levels.

Daranee Petsod has led GCIR since 1999 and has worked on immigration and social and economic justice issues since 1987. As president of GCIR, she develops and leads new areas of work, in addition to providing programmatic, fiscal, and administrative oversight.

Prior to joining GCIR, Daranee was a program and communications consultant for foundations and nonprofits. She previously held leadership positions at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and was a program officer at the Field Foundation of Illinois, Inc. and the Sophia Fund, one of the first women’s funds in the United States. She has served on the boards of the Donors Forum and the Heartland Alliance, both in Chicago, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Washington, D.C.

Daranee has authored and co-authored numerous research reports on a range of immigration issues, as well as opinion pieces on the role of philanthropy in supporting immigration and immigrant integration issues. Daranee earned an M.A. in social policy from the University of Chicago and is a recipient of the 2014 Professional Development Fellowship from the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation. When not immersed in immigration and philanthropy, she enjoys the great outdoors, savoring gourmet meals, and traveling the world with her family.

As chief communications officer for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Holly oversees the organization’s brand and develops strategic communications efforts to advance programmatic objectives…Read More >

Jen is a philanthropy advisor, executive coach and experienced nonprofit CEO. She is passionate about increasing the effectiveness of organizations, teams and individuals who create social and environmental change. Jen recently served as the chief executive of the Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund - SV2. SV2 is a community of individuals and families who come together to learn about effective philanthropy and impact investing while pooling their resources to support promising social ventures. Under Jen's leadership, SV2 expanded its grantmaking, impact investing and field leadership, doubled its revenue, and launched cutting-edge donor education programs that have helped hundreds of emerging Bay Area donors become more strategic, confident and generous in their philanthropy.

Prior to SV2, Jen served as a program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, where she worked with the foundation's senior leadership team on organization-wide strategy and evaluation. She built a grantmaking program that made over $14 million in capacity building grants to help nonprofits strengthen their organizational effectiveness and managed various Office of the President grants, including a $110 million grant to U.C. Berkeley.  

Earlier in her career, Jen worked for a U.S. Congressman, the United Nations, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Center for Social Innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Jen co-taught of first-year MBA course at Stanford and has spoken at the Churchill Club, Northern California Grantmakers’ New Grantmaker Institute, and at Peking University in Beijing, China with the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. Jen has been quoted and her work featured in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Gentry magazine, Philanthropy Hour, and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The Silicon Valley Business Journal named Jen as one of Silicon Valley’s top 40 Under 40 leaders and as a Woman of Influence.

Jen holds an MPA in International Development from Princeton and BA in Government and Environmental Studies from Dartmouth, where she graduated magna cum laude and played on the women’s soccer team. She trained as an evaluator through the Evaluator’s Institute and as a coach through the Coaches Training Institute. Jen lives in Portola Valley, California with her husband and two children. 

Retha Robinson is the director of the Koshland Program, a community development program that is working toward civic unity, leadership development, neighborhood partnerships, and encouraging civic participation…Read More >

Richard Tate is vice president of public affairs at The California Wellness Foundation, where he leads a multidisciplinary team responsible for the Foundation’s communications, community relations and public policy activities. In his role, Tate develops and implements strategies to further the reach and impact of Cal Wellness and its Advancing Wellness grantmaking by engaging audiences in addressing the issues central to the Foundation’s mission. He reports directly to the president and CEO and is a member of the senior management team.

Tate joined Cal Wellness in 2016 after ten years with HopeLab, the health-focused nonprofit organization of the Omidyar Group and a pioneer in digital health research and development. He was HopeLab’s first director of communications and marketing and advanced to become a vice president and member of the executive leadership team. He oversaw all public relations, media outreach and product marketing, including the successful launch of HopeLab’s groundbreaking Re-Mission video game for teens and young adults with cancer and HopeLab’s participation in the launch of the federal Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation at the White House, where President Barack Obama featured HopeLab and its Zamzee product as an exemplar of social innovation.

Prior to joining HopeLab, Tate was a director of corporate communications for the multinational biotechnology company Chiron Corporation, through its acquisition by Novartis AG. He managed communications and media relations related to Chiron’s biopharmaceuticals business, working closely with company executives, product marketing teams, investor and government relations personnel, research scientists and patient advocates. He began his career in communications as an editor and journalist and held editorial positions at the national newsmagazine The Advocate, Citysearch.com, and the Los Angeles lifestyle magazine Buzz. He also was an assistant director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Southern California.

He is a board member of the Bay Area Surgical Mission and participates in the organization’s work providing free medical care in remote communities in the Philippines challenged by poverty and limited access to health services. Tate earned his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Southern California, where he was a Deans Scholar and winner of USC’s Edward W. Moses Writing Competition. Tate has lived and worked in California since 1991 and is based in the Cal Wellness San Francisco office.

Rick Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of the Sobrato Family Foundation (SFF), one of Silicon Valley’s largest philanthropic organizations. SFF’s mission is to promote access to high-quality education, career pathways, and essential human services, as it seeks to make Silicon Valley a place of opportunity for all its residents.

Prior to joining SFF, Rick founded and was President of Realize Consulting Group, a management consultant firm focused on creating effective and sustainable solutions for philanthropic and nonprofit organizations and the communities they serve. Rick also served at the Director of the Asset Funders Network, USA, a national community of foundations and grantmakers advancing programs and policies that promote economic opportunity by helping low-income individuals build and protect financial assets.

From 2001-2005, Rick was National Programs Director at the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation where he oversaw grantmaking in the areas of homelessness, substance abuse, foster youth, after-school services, and poverty prevention. Rick is currently on the Board of the Silicon Valley Children’s Fund and Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY). Previously he served as the Board Chairperson of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, CA and a founding board member of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO). Rick also previously served as the Deputy Director of the Santa Clara County Mental Health Department and Director of the Santa Clara County’s psychiatric inpatient services.

Rick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in clinical psychology from Washington State University and a Master of Arts degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University.