Staff

Kayla Ballard joined NCG in 2014 and serves as the Coordinator for Policy and Communications. In this role, she is a highly-skilled communications jack-of-all-trades—designing and maintaining the NCG’s website, designing communications materials, managing social media and handling all of NCG’s outreach. She also serves as a Communications Chapter Lead on the Bay Area Steering Committee for Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy.

Prior to NCG, Kayla holds a BS in Business Management and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management. She most recently earned a Certificate in Social Sector Leadership from Berkeley Haas School of Business. In her career, she has supported communications in the social impact arena for four years, working with foundations and nonprofits mobilizing new generations to drive transformational social change using skills and pro bono service.

Kayla moved to the Bay Area in 2013 but is a true Oregon girl. She loves the outdoors almost as much as she loves basketball (Go Warriors!), truffle salt, and her husband—not necessarily in that order. Those closest to her know the way to her heart is through good Mexican food, quality cider and excellent grammar.

“That everyone has an equitable opportunity for a purpose-filled life.”

Steve has a long history with NCG including stints on various committees as well as the NCG and Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers boards. Over the last several years he’s been a consultant on special projects, corporate philanthropy and social responsibility and briefings. As the Director for Regional Vibrancy and Sustainability he’s focused on programs, initiatives and projects that address the issues affecting our region from displacement and gentrification to income inequality to the arts, climate change and disaster resiliency. 

In addition to his consulting practice, Steve has been the Director for Foundation and Corporate Giving at Gap Inc., a program officer at the Marin Community Foundation, and served in Mayoral  administrations in both San Francisco and Oakland. When he’s not working you can often find him at Amoeba Music, traveling abroad, binge watching an amazing series, exploring the Bay Area or at some wine bar.

“I keep a mental model to remember, that if you give with good intentions, you will never regret anything.”

Alice has spent most of her career in the nonprofit sector and working in the Finance, Operations and Human Resource areas of an organization. Most of her work has been centered in the heart of the organization using her forensic accounting, finance, and operational skills to aid the organization in providing sound financial reporting and support. Alice has joined NCG as its Director of Finance and Operations, and in addition to her current responsibilities will also focus on financial grant management.

Alice has always been passionate about building strong people connections to promote team-building, values and growth. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Alice has a deep interest in community issues and their importance to preserve the many diverse cultures that live in this dynamic region.

Alice loves to spend time with her family and friends, and when time permits watch many of her favorite TV shows, or settle into a good book. She also loves to bowl and has been in bowling leagues and tournaments for over 20 years.

“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.” – Dalai Lama

As the Policy Director, Cecilia advances NCG’s mission to build healthy, thriving and just communities through public policy. 

Prior to joining NCG, Cecilia served as a Deputy Attorney General at the California Attorney General’s Office advancing the Attorney General’s policy priorities around criminal justice reform and childhood trauma. Cecilia was previously the Associate Director of Policy at the Center for Youth Wellness where she led statewide efforts to prevent and address childhood adversity and the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on children’s health. She was also the 2011-2013 Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Fellow at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. Cecilia graduated from Tufts University and received her J.D. from Boston College Law School. 

She lives in San Francisco with her husband and fur baby Sherlock. In addition to being an unabashed dessert lover (especially ice cream), Cecilia enjoys exploring the Bay Area and trekking internationally. She just completed a hike through the world’s largest cave and is always looking for her next adventure.

“No one person is an island, we are a community that helps shape the world!”

Jenny is currently the Senior Operations Associate, and has committed over 14 years to administrative and operations support at NCG. While acting as both gate keeper and mother hen to the NCG staff, she is also mother to two young boys who have grown up behind the front desk on their school vacations. Jenny has a love/hate relationship with the candy she buys for the front desk. In her rare spare time she takes trips to IKEA and attempts to grow her green thumb with gardening.

“NCG is building a cross-sectoral community to connect, share, and leverage resources to tackle the region’s most pressing social issues. It is exciting to be a part of bringing mission driven organizations together to learn, support, collaborate, and take action towards building equitable communities.”  

 Krystle has spent her career in the social sector, with a passion for cultivating relationships and resources and leveraging them to make a lasting impact in community. As a coordinator of collaborative philanthropy, Krystle manages the Arts Loan Fund and plans logistical aspects of programming for NCG’s other collaboratives. 

Prior to NCG, she earned her Master’s in Public Service at the Clinton School of Public Service, where she built capacity for mission driven organizations focusing on poverty alleviation, economic development, and combating food insecurity.  Krystle also served as an AmeriCorps Vista with a non-profit that promoted public health in South Eastern Kentucky. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at University of California Santa Cruz. Personal goals include perfecting her pad thai recipe and one day completing a full map of the US comprised of photos she has taken in each state.

Pam David, former long-time Executive Director of the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, is now turning her attention to providing advice and counsel to the philanthropic, local government, and nonprofit sectors. In April, 2018, Pam will join Northern California Grantmakers as its inaugural senior fellow. Also, she will continue to serve as a Social Impact Fellow at the Haas Shool of Business, Institute of Social Sector Leadership, at the University of California, Berkeley and launch a private consulting practice.

Pam is a seasoned cross sector leader with expertise in the fields of philanthropy, the nonprofit sector, local government, and community development.  In addition to heading up the Haas, Sr. Fund for 15 years, Pam is the former Director of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Community Development, and former chief of staff of the city’s Human Services Agency. She is passionate about social justice, and is committed to improving the effectiveness of public-private partnerships. Throughout her career, Ms. David has played an instrumental role in building resources for community-based development in lower income neighborhoods, and addressing capacity and sustainability issues in the nonprofit sector. Having worked as a community organizer, for a Presidential candidate, three San Francisco mayors, and a significant Bay Area family foundation, Ms. David has a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between community, the nonprofit sector, government, and philanthropy. 

Ms. David is a board member of the state-wide Campaign for College Opportunity and has served on the Executive Council of HOPE SF. In addition she is on the board of the National LGBT Task Force Action Fund. She serves on the advisory boards of the Alliance for Girls, the Horizon Foundation, Northern California Enterprise Community, Openhouse, and GoodMojo.com. She is the former board chair of Northern California Grantmakers, a graduate of Leadership San Francisco, and has been the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions for her body of work in community, government, and philanthropy.  

A graduate of Pitzer College and Stanford University’s School of Education, Pam lives in San Francisco with her wife of 30+ years and her wonder dog, Clancy.

Sarah is passionate about connecting people, exploring new ideas and figuring out how to make things work. She brings these skills, along with a background in program design, network development and learning communities to her work at NCG. As the Manager of Collaborative Philanthropy, Sarah will focus on the work of the Nonprofit Displacement Project and will work with NCG’s collaborative philanthropy groups. Before joining NCG, Sarah provided strategic leadership for an organization that built innovative leadership in the reproductive health, rights and justice sector. Prior to that, Sarah designed and implemented multiple grant programs and learning networks focused on the social determinants of health and safety net healthcare innovation for the Center for Care Innovations.

Sarah received a bachelor’s degree in literary studies with a minor in Latin from the University of Minnesota –Twin Cities. She loves to sew fun clothes and is a bookworm who is very proud to have passed that trait on to her two children.

Karen has spent her over 30+ year career in the public and nonprofit sector beginning her career as an aide to U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum (Ohio) and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (Ohio).  Once she moved out to California she began working at the executive level in the fields of alternative dispute resolution, domestic violence and Alzheimer’s care. Her focus has always been diverse not only working in the areas of HR, finance and operations but also programming and public policy.  As Vice-President, Operations & Government Relations at our sister organization, Southern California Grantmakers, she oversees all finance, human resources, operations and public policy.  At the same time she also serves as Chief Administrative Officer of Philanthropy California (the joint initiative between NCG, SCG and SDG) and oversees the collaborative work of the three regional associations and is responsible for providing high level oversight to NCG and SDG’s finances and human resources as well as management of statewide public policy and online technology. 

“At NCG we talk about making choices that will shape our community and cultural legacy for generations. We have a chance to bridge the widening divides as the region’s million and billionaires shot up over 12,000 and 2.6 million people were plunged into financial distress.”

Emily directs communications which means finding the threads that bring foundations together with nonprofits, business, government and each other for greater good. She’s a big believer in joining forces for greater good and getting to spend her days furthering this mission makes her job a pleasure.

Emily landed her first job out of college at a non-profit start-up where she began in telemarketing and through her impressive tenacity left six years later as a senior vice president with quintupled budget, national honors and a half million square feet of warehousing.

At the Women’s Funding Network, Emily developed and implemented a four-year multi-million dollar scope of work building the communications capacity of members across the US, Canada and on every continent. 

She is proud to serve on the boards of Equal Rights Advocates and the Arab Film Festival, where she chairs communications and governance committees. Emily is also the lucky mother of overly intelligent twin tweens, and enjoys the moments when she doffs her parenting hat and gets to be a real person with them.

“I believe that if we create community with intention, look together in the same direction, bring our best selves to the table, roll up our sleeves together, and BELIEVE, we can accomplish great things.”  

As President and CEO, Ellen makes sure we know where we are going, have mapped a great (and hopefully scenic) route to get there, that our vehicle is working well and has enough gas, that people know our plans and how to join us on our journey, and that we celebrate our progress every time we pass another milestone and let our fellow travelers know when we find new and better ways to go.  She also makes sure we have good snacks.

Before coming to NCG, Ellen worked as VP of Strategic Partnerships at HopeLab, a health and technology-focused operating foundation funded by The Omidyar Group.  Prior to that, she was Executive Director of a national AIDS treatment information and advocacy organization, and practiced law at a large firm in San Francisco.

Ellen earned a BA in Community Health at Brown University and a law degree from UC Berkeley.  When not building community at work she does so with friends and family at home. Her introverted partner and adolescent son tolerate her cruise director tendencies with enormous grace.  

“Great things can happen when we are in community where we feel a sense of place and connection to each other.”

Phuong believes in the power of community and networks, which has also shaped her career path.  She was the Membership Director at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) and a co-founder of AAPIP’s Hella Heart Oakland Giving Circle.  At NCG, she oversees membership, programmatic and collaborative work, and helps to shape and strengthen NCG's strategic focus on addressing inequities, supporting the vibrancy and sustainability of our region, and tending to the dynamic and diverse people in our philanthropic community. As an extrovert, she is always curious to meet and connect with people. Interesting random facts:  She was born in Vietnam and raised in Minnesota. She has run 5 full marathons. Despite her lack of talent, she sings karaoke regularly.

Zoe recently graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA with a degree in Political Science. As a San Francisco native, she is excited to be back in the Bay Area and working with NCG to better the region so near and dear to her heart. As Member Engagement Associate, Zoe looks forward to learning more about the world of philanthropy, and to building relationships both with members and other peers in the field.

Previously, she has worked in the offices of elected officials in both the U.S. and U.K. governments, on several political campaigns, and with nonprofits such as Kiva, where she helped hundreds of small business owners successfully fundraise to obtain 0% interest loans. In her spare time she also serves high tea at a British tea room. Zoe can also be found baking, exploring new restaurants and petting every dog she comes across.

"If the right conditions exist, individuals and teams can do most anything we put our minds to. As Margaret Mead said: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' "

Kate is the Director of Leadership, Culture and Community. In this role, she directs NCG’s professional and leadership development work, and guides our focus on organizational culture as a leverage point for impact. Before working in philanthropy, Kate co-founded the nonprofit Puente a la Salud Comunitaria in Oaxaca, Mexico, a community development organization focused on public health, economic development, and sustainable agriculture. She proudly chairs the board there, and serves on the board of her amazing summer camp, the Bar 717 Ranch, and the nonprofit NewStories. She spent a transformative year completing a Master's in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability, where she deepened her own understanding of the type of leadership and organizational culture that is needed to achieve both environmental and social sustainability. In her life beyond work, she loves farms, farmers, cooking, eating, canning, community, nature, hiking and backpacking. On Sundays you can find her working the farmers market for her friends' farm in Sebastopol. She hopes you’ll come and visit.

Growing up, Varisa witnessed the power of generosity and spirit before her eyes. Her parents, who have always been kind and quick to help others, developed her innate sense of fairness, which has compelled Varisa to devote her career to elevating communities that have been excluded from the conversation. She proudly comes from the tiny town of Walnut and in a nutshell, her small town values and big dreams for the future have brought her to NCG’s team.

As the newest and youngest member of NCG, Varisa supports the team through her graphic-savvy communications skills and ambition to learn how to equip local communities with the tools they need to thrive. Prior to coming to NCG, Varisa studied Business Administration at the University of Southern California with a minor in Nonprofits, Philanthropy & Volunteerism. Her experiences interning at the International Rescue Committee and the United Nations HQ have convinced her that there is much potential in cross sector communication and collaboration. The nature of NCG’s work has given her an exact platform to explore and expand new forms of innovative philanthropy.

When she’s away from her desk, she could be found wandering the aisles of Costco, eating dim sum, or turning pages of her next favorite book.

“Equitable recovery from disasters requires the long-term, deep involvement of all sectors, and I believe that NCG is well placed to help philanthropic organizations maximize their impact.”

Andrea brings more than 25 years in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, with a focus on disasters and other emergencies. From October 2017 through April 2018, as NCG’s Manager for Regional Vibrancy and Sustainability, Andrea developed and implemented the vision and strategy for our Disaster Resilience, Relief, and Recovery work, bolstering the knowledge, capacity, and systems of Northern California’s philanthropic sector for disasters. She now serves as a Senior Advisor and consultant to NCG in this arena.

Before coming to NCG, Andrea developed and implemented the multi-faceted disaster resilience portfolio at The San Francisco Foundation. She has also developed disaster preparedness education programs, integrated social justice and peacebuilding into international relief and development programs, supported emergency humanitarian programs around the world, and directed a local chapter of an international professional association.

Andrea enjoyed her extensive travel throughout the world earlier in her career but now is glad to be focusing her attention closer to home here in her native California where she spends as much time as she can with her husband and spirited young daughter.