Staff

Executive Office

Sandra R. Hernández, M.D. [bio]
Chief Executive Officer

Scott J. Owens, Jr.
Executive Assistant

Philanthropic Services

Susan Shain
Director of Philanthropic Services and Gift Planning

Chris Nicholson
Director of Business Development

Lisa Rose
Donor Relations Officer

Kristen Angel
Philanthropic Services Coordinator

Joshua Jones
Philanthropic Services Assistant

Ashlee Flores
Donor Relations Assistant

 

Public Affairs and Communications

Sara Ying Rounsaville [bio]
Director of Public Affairs and Communications

Talya Gould
Marketing Communications Officer

Susan Macintyre
Public Affairs and Communications Assistant

 

Finance

Monica Pressley [bio]
Chief Financial Officer

Juliet Morgan
Assistant to the CFO

Susan Frohlich
Controller

Craig Fox
Business Analyst

Susanne Ginn Meza
Senior Accountant

Elayne Chin
Senior Accountant

Hidelita Sarmiento
Accounts Payable Administrator

Grants Management

Jade Nelson
Manager of Grants Administration

Cynthia Gonzales
Grants Assistant

Human Resources and Administration

Dee Dee Brantley [bio]
Director of Human Resources and Administration

Yolanda Alindor
Organization and Professional Development Officer

Jamillah Washington-Weaver
Administrative Services Manager

Hidelita Sarmiento
Payroll/Benefits Administrator

Angela Tompkins
Administrative Assistant

Esperanza Canes
Receptionist

Choi Man Wong
Maintenance Assistant

Information Technology

Fred Jacob
IT Manager

Jim Breen
Technical Support Specialist

Program Department

James W. Head [bio]
Director of Programs

Anna Karrer
Program Assistant

Tessa Rouverol Callejo
Coordinator, FAITHS Program

Multicultural Fellowship Program
Yolanda Alindor
Fellowship Coordinator

Navin Moul
Program Fellow

Arts and Culture
John R. Killacky [bio]
Program Officer, Arts and Culture

Vanessa Camarena-Arredondo
Program Fellow, Arts and Culture

Kevin Seaman
Program Assistant, Arts and Culture

Community Development
Vanitha Venugopal [bio]
Program Officer, Community Development

Jessica Pitt
Bay Area Workforce Funding Collaborative Coordinator, Community Development

Gloria Bruce
Program Fellow, Community Development

Michelle Myles Chambers
Program Assistant, Community Development

Community Health
Denise Martin [bio]
Program Officer, Community Health

Andrea Zussman
Disaster Preparedness Project Coordinator

Josaphine Stevenson
Program Fellow, Community Health

Maria Healey
Program Assistant, Community Health

Education
Lisa Villarreal [bio]
Program Officer, Education

Scott Nolan
Program Assistant, Education

Environment
Arlene Rodriguez [bio]
Program Officer, Environment

Heather Hood
Program Coordinator, Environment

Grace Ma
Program Fellow, Environment

Sarah Chun
Program Assistant, Environment

 

Koshland Program
Retha Robinson [bio]
Director, Koshland Program 

Harmony Karp
Koshland Program Coordinator

Jason Torres Hancock
Koshland Program Assistant

West Oakland Initiative
Lisa Villarreal
Program Officer, Education

 

Staff Bios

Sandra R. Hernández, M.D., is chief executive officer of The San Francisco Foundation. Dr. Hernández is a graduate of Yale University, Tufts School of Medicine, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Prior to becoming CEO of the Foundation she served as the director of public health for the City and County of San Francisco. She is an assistant clinical professor at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and maintains an active clinical practice at San Francisco General Hospital in the AIDS clinic. Dr. Hernández currently serves on the boards of Blue Shield of California and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. She is also a trustee of the Western Asbestos Settlement Trust and serves on the UCSF Advisory Councils of Pediatric Leadership for the Underserved, Clinical and Translational Sci­ence Institute, Lesbian Health and Resource Center, and the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved. Dr. Hernández was named Hispanic Business Magazine’s 2008 Woman of the Year and has received the 2008 Silver SPUR award. She was recently the cover feature of Tufts Medicine Magazine. Her prior affiliations include President Clinton’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry; The Pew Commission on Environmental Health; the Council on Foundations; The Foundation Consortium for California’s Children and Youth; Grantmakers in Health; American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR); the Volunteerism Project; Stern Grove Festival Association; the National Alliance for Hispanic Health; Corporation for Supportive Housing; the Institute of Medicine’s Committees on the Consequences of Uninsurance and the Implementation of Antiviral Medication Strategies for an Influenza Pandemic; Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Session on Philanthropy; Blackbaud, Inc., a leading provider of software and online services for the nonprofit community; the Latino Community Foundation, a supporting organi­zation of The San Francisco Foundation; and the California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which is the governing body for California’s Children’s Health Insurance Program. Dr. Hernández also co-chaired San Francisco’s Universal Healthcare Council.

 

James W. Head is director of programs at The San Francisco Foundation and has more than 25 years of experience in the field of community and economic development. Previously, Mr. Head served as president of the National Economic Development and Law Center for 18 years. A lawyer by training, Mr. Head has significant nonprofit management, programmatic, and legal experience and has worked on nonprofit legal and finance issues as a consultant to foundations, business, and government, and as a professor of law. His past and present affiliations and community service include the community advisory board of Union Bank of California, member and past board president of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association; board member of Northern California Grantmakers, the National Center for Youth Law, and the Neighborhood Funders Group; as well as adjunct professor of law at U.C. Hastings, U.C. Berkeley (Boalt) and Santa Clara University Law Schools in the Bay Area. Additionally, Mr. Head has recently been appointed Commissioner for the Port of Oakland and serves on the Aviation and Commercial Real Estate committees. He has also formerly served as an advisor to the 2001 Race Commission in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a member and chair of the Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board, and was a founding board member of the California Community Economic Development Lending Initiative. Mr. Head holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and a law degree from the University of Georgia, School of Law. He holds state bar memberships in Georgia, Florida, and California.

Monica Pressley has been the Foundation’s chief financial officer for five years, managing finance, grants management, and information technology. Over this time the foundation has grown to over $1 billion in assets. She previously served as a chief administrative officer for Barclays Global Investors, director of finance for Dividend Development Corporation, and as a consultant for Charles Schwab & Co. She has deep experience in finance and accounting, information systems, budget administration, and strategic planning. Through her affiliation with Harvard Community Partners, she has completed consulting projects for Bay Area nonprofits including Haight Ashbury Free Clinics, Enterprise for High School Students, and Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance. She received the 2002 Jim Stocker Award for Volunteer Excellence. She earned her Master’s of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s in Economics from UCLA.

 

Sara Ying Rounsaville serves as The San Francisco Foundation's director of public affairs and communications. With over twenty years of communications experience in the private, public, and philanthropic sectors, Ms. Rounsaville is responsible for the Foundation's integrated communications strategy and brand. Before joining The San Francisco Foundation, Ms. Rounsaville was director of public affairs at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. She has previously served as senior policy advisor to Lieutenant Governor Leo McCarthy, and producer, writer, and reporter for Asian Health Reports on KTSF-Channel 26. She has served on the boards of Asian Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and Planned Parenthood Golden Gate. She is a member of the Independent Sector's Public Affairs Committee, The Council on Foundation's Media and Public Affairs Committee, and Nihonmachi Little Friends Public Relations Committee. Ms. Rounsaville holds a Bachelors in Science from the University of California at Berkeley.

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 and celebrating unsung community heroes. Under Ms. Robinson's guidance, each year the Koshland Program chooses a neighborhood in the Bay Area and makes a five-year commitment towards improving the quality of life. Ms. Robinson has been with the Foundation for over two decades, working primarily in community building efforts throughout Bay Area neighborhoods. She is chair of the board of directors of the Girls After School Academy and chief financial officer of Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy. Ms. Robinson is a member of the Association of Black Foundation Executives, the National Center for Black Philanthropy, and Neighborhood Funders Group, and an advisory board member of the Bay Area Women and Children's Resource Center. She received a Bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University.

 

Dee Dee Brantley is the Foundation's director of human resources. She has extensive background in business and human capital management. Her experience spans multiple industry sectors, geographies, and disciplines throughout the business community. Before joining The San Francisco Foundation, Ms. Brantley served in a variety of senior positions with Sun Microsystems, PeopleSoft Inc., and Korn/Ferry Futurestep, Inc. She is a current member of Bay Area Blacks in Philanthropy and the National Center for Black Philanthropy and has previously served on the International Human Resources Information Management Board. Ms. Brantley is also on the HR committee of the Fiscal and Administrative Officers Group for community foundations. She earned a Bachelor’s in Business and Economics and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Holy Names College.

 

John Killacky, program officer for arts and culture, previously served as executive director of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for six years and curator of performing arts for the Walker Art Center for eight years. Other past positions include program officer at the Pew Charitable Trusts, general manager of PepsiCo SUMMERFARE, and managing director of the Trisha Brown and Laura Dean dance companies. He received the First Bank Award Sally Ordway Irvine Award in Artistic Vision; the William Dawson Award for Programming Excellence from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters; Dance USA's Earnie Award as an "unsung hero;" a Gerbode Foundation Professional Development Fellowship; and a scholarship to Harvard Business School's summer intensive. Mr. Killacky has served as a panelist, lecturer, and consultant for a broad range of arts and funding organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, Jerome Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, MacArthur Foundation, Arts International, Irvine Foundation, Michigan Arts and Cultural Affairs Council, and the Japan Foundation. He has written numerous publications on the arts and written and directed several award winning short films and videos.

 

Denise (Denny) Martin, program officer for community health, focuses on programs designed to improve the health of communities, particularly underserved populations, by expanding access to services, promoting prevention to reduce illness, and advancing health policy reform. Most recently Ms. Martin served as president and chief executive officer of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (CAPH) and its affiliated research foundation, the Safety Net Institute. She has worked on initiatives to increase access to healthcare, expand the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs, and secure adequate funding for safety net hospitals and clinics. Under her leadership CAPH worked closely with the Administration and other major stakeholders to craft the state’s first historic five-year Medicaid waiver, helped launch the state’s two-plan Medi-Cal managed care system, and served as the representative for the Local Health Plans of California during its initial start-up. Ms. Martin previously served as a clinical manager at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital and San Francisco General Hospital, as well as other facilities working with substance abuse clients. She has served on a variety of advisory committees, including the Attorney General’s on Charity Care, the Frequent Users Campaign, the Insure the Uninsured Project, and the UCSF Health Care Improvement for Diverse Populations project. Ms. Martin also served as a guest lecturer at the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Northwestern University and her Masters’ in Public Health Policy and Administration from UC Berkeley.

Arlene Rodriguez is the program officer for the environment and promotes environmentally sustainable development practices by addressing urban and natural environmental issues that focus on ecosystems protection, climate change, equitable growth and development, the reduction of toxins, and advancing environmental health and justice for the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Rodriguez has extensive experience and strong leadership in organizational development, program planning, community development, and the environmental field. She served as senior program officer for the environment at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, was the director of community programs and founding director of the Crissy Field Environmental Center with Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and served as urban program director for the western region of The Trust for Public Land. She is president of the board of trustees for the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, serves as co-chair for the California chapter and as a steering committee member of the Health and Environmental Funders Network, and serves on the board of the Courtney Foundation. In the past, Ms. Rodriguez also served as board chair of the San Francisco Education Fund and was a commissioner for the City and County of San Francisco Department on the Environment. Ms. Rodriguez has a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois. She also holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Landscape Horticulture and a Master’s in Landscape Architecture, with a minor in Urban Planning, from North Carolina State University.

Photo of Vanitha Venugopal, program officer for community development. March 2009.

Vanitha Venugopal, program officer for community development, has worked in the field for more than two decades, as an urban planner, facilities and policy analyst, and legislative aide. Most recently, she served as a senior program officer for community revitalization at the Surdna Foundation, a national family foundation based in New York City where she developed a portfolio of grants focused on transit-oriented development, energy efficiency retrofits in affordable housing, and building new voices for equity. She is a co-founding member of Chhaya CDC, which provides housing services to South Asians in New York City, and a former board member of Habitat for Humanity-NYC and Asian Americans for Equality. Vanitha holds a Master’s in Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University, and a Bachelor’s of Architecture from the JNT University in India.

 

Lisa Villarreal, program officer for education, is an education professional with over 25 years of experience as a teacher, counselor, and administrator, with expertise in collaborative programs, professional development, and grantmaking for ages preschool through adult. She has worked with students, teachers, parents, administrators, community partners, and funders at the local, regional, state, and national levels. Ms. Villarreal previously served as executive director for the Center for Cooperative Research and Extension Services for Schools (CRESS Center) and the Center for Community School Partnerships, both at the UC Davis School of Education. Her national experience includes serving as vice chair for the National Coalition for Community Schools and earlier consulting with the Annenberg Institute on School Reform and the Council of Chief State School Officers. She has written and published articles on a range of education, counseling, and youth development topics. A California native of Mexican American descent, Lisa hold certificates in Early Childhood Education, Secondary Education, K-12 School Administration, Drug and Alcohol Counseling, and English Language Development. She earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Simpson University, and her Master’s in Education from San Francisco State University.