TPW West

LARRY BIRENBAUM, Board Chairman
"Having spent my career in high tech, strategic philanthropy was new to me.  With imagination and inspiration, TPW West helped crystalize a vision of personal impact, and put me in the game to stay."

(Cohort 6) Larry Birenbaum retired from Cisco Systems where he was a Senior Vice President in charge of the desktop switch and wireless LAN businesses. Before that, he held executive positions at HP and 3Com, later co‐founding Grand Junction Networks where he was a co‐creator of modern Ethernet. His philanthropic focus is energy and climate change.

 

OLANA HIRSCH KHAN, Vice Chair
"TPWW was an inspirational journey for me both intellectually and spiritually. I went from checkbook charity to creating and monitoring an impactful investment strategy for my philanthropic portfolio. I learned so many new skills and tools, and even 4 years later, find that I am often reaching into my "TPWW toolbox"  for valuable assessment strategies. The peer group within the TPWW family is amazing; and a constant source of support and shared learning opportunities." 

(Cohort 6) Olana Hirsch Khan has a strong background in building, scaling, and managing operations teams. She is currently Chief Operating Officer at Profounder (www.profounder.com), a crowdfunding online platform for entrepreneurs and investors. Prior to this, Olana was Chief Operating Officer at Kiva.org, a microfinance organization which was facilitated over $165mm in small loans to entrepreneurs worldwide. Olana has over 10 years of high tech sales and operations experience with Internet pioneers such as Netscape Inc., AOL Inc., and Google Inc. While at Google, Olana was the founding member of the New York office and oversaw a large global sales operations team. Olana is deeply committed to civic engagement in her local community, and serves as Vice Chair of the Human Relations Council for Palo Alto, as well as serving on several city advisory boards focused on development grants and affordable housing. Additionally, Olana is President of the OZ Family Foundation, which is focused on bringing technology and operational excellence to the non‐profit sector. Olana spends her free time being managed "upwards" by her two young sons, and is expecting her third child in February 2011. Olana graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor from the Honors program with a B.A. in both South East Asian Studies and Psychology.
 

LISA KLEISSNER, Treasurer & Chairman Emeritus
"TPW West helped my husband and me increase the impact of our philanthropy, realize our potential as a couple working in philanthropy, and connect us to a vibrant, inspiring network of philanthropic innovators. This program has been one of the most impactful investments of time and treasure we have made!"

(Cohort 3) Lisa Kleissner is the President of the KL Felicitas Foundation, a family foundation she co-founded with her husband, Charly, in 2000. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting programs that: empower rural communities and families through sustainable economic and social change, enable social entrepreneurs worldwide to develop and grow economically sustainable, scalable enterprises with high measurable social impact, and advocate their Foundation’s sustainability, mission, and social investment strategy with foundations and socially minded individual investors. Lisa provides pro-bono architectural, project and construction management services for non-profits both locally and internationally with a focus on culturally appropriate and sustainable design. Additionally, Lisa has led fund raising efforts for a variety of both local and international non-profits focusing on capital and endowment campaigns.  Lisa was raised in Hawaii, attended the Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaii at Manoa graduating with a BA in Environmental Design. She was the Vice President of an architectural firm in Hawaii doing work in Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Most recently she was the president of The Kleissner Group, an architectural and project management firm in Silicon Valley.
 

JOAN PLATT  , Secretary
(Cohort 7) Joan Platt is the founder and President of the Joan and Lewis Platt Foundation which focuses on women's and children's human rights in the international arena. She serves on the international board of Human Rights Watch, the board of Global Fund for Children, and the board of Genocide Intervention Network. In addition, she is a member of the board of TPW West; The World Affairs Council of Northern California; a member of the board of the East Palo Alto YMCA; and serves as Vice Chair of the Northern California Committee of Human Rights Watch. Joan owns and manages the Platt Vineyard (Bodega, California). She is a member of the Board of Visitors Fellows at UC Davis (advising and supporting the oenology department) and a member of the Advisory Board of Winery Exchange, Inc. (Novato, California). Her early career included several years of management experience in computer systems analysis.
 

KARIN BAUER, Director
"TPW West has contributed greatly toward my understanding of modern innovative philanthropy and helped me recognize the importance of impact in evaluating the effectiveness of a particular philanthropic mission or initiative."

(Cohort 6) Karin Bauer has spent her career as a corporate marketing manager for several software and internet companies including, most recently, EBAY, Inc. and previously Oracle Corporation. Currently, she is attending the California Institute of Integral Studies as a full‐time Ph.D. student in Indian philosophies and religions. Karin also holds a B.A. in International Relations from Pomona College and a M.B.A. from University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. Her current giving program incorporates a cross‐matrix of issues and geographic regions. The issue areas she currently supports are social venture investing and entrepreneurs, environmental protection and sustainability, women’s social and economic empowerment and animal welfare. Karin has an international focus on the people of India, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan.
 

MAUREEN BLANC, Director
"Aside from starting my own company over 25 years ago, the TPW West Network is one of the most valuable experiences I have ever had.  It has helped shape and define my philanthropy, put me in touch with some of the smartest and coolest people working to create social change, and has been a constant resource for me whenever I need it."

(Cohort 4) Maureen Blanc is the Northern California Chapter Leader for Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), the independent business voice for the environment, and an affiliate of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). For the past twenty‐five years, Maureen has been in marketing and was president of Blanc and Otus Public Relations, a high tech consultancy firm sold to Hill and Knowlton in 1999. She was Director of the Global Technology Practice for Hill and Knowlton from 2000 to 2002. Maureen has been working in the nonprofit sector for the past five years, most recently as Vice President of Marketing for the International Museum of Women. She currently serves on the board of trustees for the World Affairs Council of Northern California. After her recent retirement, she has focused her time and resources on philanthropy, most recently serving as a delegate to Environmental Entrepreneurs, a network of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and other professionals who help influence key environmental policy issues and provide business skills and financial support for the Natural Resources Defense Council. On the political side, Maureen worked with the Howard Dean for America Northern California Development Committee and Kamala Harris for DA campaign in 2003, and she remains active with the Democratic National Committee and Senatorial Caucus. Maureen also helped establish the San Francisco chapter of Friends of the Children, a program that serves “at risk” school‐age children in the Bay View/Hunters Point neighborhood by matching them with paid mentors. She is currently a member of the advisory board after having served three years on the board, including one year as co‐Chair. In September 2004, Maureen joined the advisory board of the International Museum of Women (IMOW), poised to become the first institution dedicated to the role of women globally. Maureen is a graduate of UC Berkeley, with a degree in English literature and did post graduate work at Stanford University. She lives with her husband and daughter in San Francisco.
 

ELLIOTT DONNELLEY, Chairman Emeritus
(Cohort 6) Elliot Donnelley is a founding managing partner of the White Sand Investor Group, LP, a fifth generation investment partnership of the Donnelley family. In addition to his experience in managing investments, Elliott has worked on Capitol, Hill, helped launch and run two grass roots non‐profit programs and spent two years teaching English at the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Beijing. Elliott currently travels to China several times a year and as a board member of the Beijing based organization New Philanthropy Partners, is focused on China's emerging philanthropy and non‐profit sectors. Elliott also serves as a trustee of the World Affairs Council of Northern California and the LGT Venture Philanthropy Foundation, and is Chairman Emeritus of the board of directors of The Philanthropy Workshop West. Elliott graduated from Yale University in 1988 with a B.A. in history.
 

RUSS HALL, Director
"TPW is the best deep-dive into philanthropy on the planet - I highly recommend it!  The community of new life-long friends you will make is a wonderful added benefit."

(Cohort 2) Russ Hall co‐founded Legacy Venture in 1999. Legacy is an energetic community of over 200 philanthropists, foundations, and a few select non‐profits, aspiring to significantly grow their philanthropy through access to venture funds usually closed to mere mortals. Legacy also tries to create a safe community where best practices, lessons learned, and causes can be shared in hopes that the philanthropy each investor chooses to pursue is better because of participation in the community. Legacy now has $700 million under management in its five funds. Russ graduated from West Point in 1972 and the University of California at Berkeley with a MS degree in 1975. He received his MBA from Stanford University in 1981. Russ has broad experience in Silicon Valley, working for several start‐ups, as well as a venture firm and a boutique investment shop, and the local office of the Boston Consulting Group. Russ is involved in philanthropy across a wide range of areas, especially through his work at Legacy, working to bring together investors with similar philanthropic passions and interests, building a learning community, including introducing them to salient practitioners and trends in philanthropy. Russ also co‐founded Legacy Works, a public charity dedicated to furthering the field of philanthropy. Russ has a personal interest in microenterprise, especially aligned with his wife’s work in the area. He is also active in several faith based efforts. Among Russ's current philanthropic interests: Legacy Venture, as managing director; Legacy Works, as chairman of the board; TPW West board member; Global Philanthropy Forum, as part of the advisory committee; Toniic (impact investing), through the good graces and leadership of the Kleissners, as a participant; Stanford’s Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS), advisor; Good Capital, advisor; American Leadership Forum, Senior Fellow; Village Enterprise Fund (wife Debbie is the past chair of the board); TimeOUT, as a board member; DELCo (Donor Education Learning Collaborative); a large, local church (Menlo Park Presbyterian) as an elder (like a board member); The Gathering, as a participant. Russ and his family live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
 

JULIETTE GIMON, Director
(Cohort 3) Juliette Gimon has been the Chair of The Global Fund for Children since 2005 and a board member since 2002. Last November, she left Google where she worked for three years as a Program Manager of Google.org's Global Development Initiative. Prior to Google, Ms. Gimon worked at JP Morgan Private Bank as Vice President of Global Philanthropic Services. In 2000, as one of the first fellows of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, she co‐founded the Global Philanthropy Forum. Previously, Ms Gimon designed and implemented recycling programs for Fundacion Natura, an Ecuadorian conservation foundation. Prior to that, she volunteered with WorldTeach as an English instructor for middle and high school students outside Quito. Ms. Gimon earned her BA in Anthropology from Columbia University and has served on the board of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Flora Family Foundation and The Synergos Institute.
 

DAVID KELLER, Director
"TPW has enriched my life and has impacted every aspect of my philanthropic journey, from the people, the places, the ideas and the results."

(Cohort 1) David Keller David Keller is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. Additionally he earned an AS degree in Electrical Engineering from Mission College. He worked in a variety of industries including medical services, heavy manufacturing and social services, before settling into a career in high-tech in Silicon Valley. He worked at increasing levels of responsibilities at ROLM Corporation from 1979-1989 and at Cisco Systems from 1989-2002. His work experiences included manufacturing management, process and systems engineering, product development and strategic development. Since 2002, David has been an independent business consultant with a focus on product development methodology and business and organizational development and strategy.

David established a family foundation in 2002 and since that time has been actively engaged in philanthropy. While recognizing that there are no easy answers and more then one approach, human rights, as the cornerstone of peace and justice as well as political, social and economic development has emerged as our focus.
 

DON KENDALL, Director
(Cohort 7) Don Kendall is a serial entrepreneur and social investor. He started his first business at age 26, and has founded or helped launch 7 ventures since then. He has a “sweet tooth” for the startup phase, and really enjoys new or rapidly evolving market spaces. He and his wife Kendall (yes, her first name is Kendall) took the TPW West program in 2007/8, and Don was a member of the “dirty dozen” alumni who helped restart TPW West outside Hewlett. Through his small family foundation, Don invests in track 2 diplomacy, sustainable food, teacher development and outdoor leadership education.
 

CINDY MERCER, Director
"It's sometimes said "you are the same today that you are going to be in 5 years except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read." TPWW amplified this principal in my life by introducing an unparalleled curriculum and an extraordinary peer community where trust, brainstorming and impact grow naturally."

(Cohort 8) Cindy Mercer is a strategist passionately committed to alliance‐building. She has a background in advocacy, international law, foundation management and aviation. Her enthusiasm for experiential education in effective philanthropy led her to serve on the board of The Philanthropy Workshop West, an unprecedented executive leadership program for individual donors and families. With Addison Fischer, Cindy co‐founded The Planet Heritage Foundation (PHF) in 2008, dedicated to supporting environmental initiatives, with a heavy focus on building and supporting effective collaborations. PHF recently launched Oceans 2020, a global Funders Collaborative, with Oak Foundation, the Waitt Family Foundation and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. The Collaborative will leverage its collective experience, funding and other assets to support and highlight projects it deems ‘game‐changers’ in addressing marine protection and overfishing. It will take a global, strategic and opportunistic approach to identify new points of leverage to drive change at the highest levels. Earlier this year, PHF also helped launch the Global Network for Climate Solutions (GNCS) under the leadership of Jeff Sachs and the Earth Institute. GNCS seeks to inform international climate negotiations by grounding them in shared research focused on concrete solutions and action. To this end, it is facilitating the design of country‐ and regional‐based action strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Over the last year, PHF commissioned Christine Sherry Consulting to conduct a comprehensive field scan and landscape report identifying funding needs and opportunities in the emerging area of climate security. The report was a detailed analysis of U.S. and international funding efforts, successes and opportunities to work at the intersection of climate change and national security. It included recommendations and a detailed literature review, and has been welcomed by leading climate change funders, including the Pew Trusts. In 2009, with Oak Foundation, PHF helped launched the Electrification Coalition; an alliance of business leaders committed to the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale in order to combat the economic, environmental, and national security dangers caused by our nation’s dependence on petroleum. PHF has also supported the work of visionaries such as Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Sylvia Earle. In April of this year, it supported Earle and the TED Conference to produce Mission Blue: a sea‐voyage of 100 influential leaders, all of whom came together in the Galapagos Islands to seek smart, strategic collaboration in restoring and protecting the Ocean. Cindy serves on the President’s Advisory Board of The East West Institute; a think tank committed to making the world a safer place by addressing critical issues around global stability. She also serves on the advisory board of The Harry Singer Foundation, founded to promote personal responsibility and to involve communities more fully in the formation of public policy. Cindy holds a JD from Stetson University College of Law and a BA in Political Science from Emory University. She lives in Florida and spends several months annually in Northern CA and Santa Fe, NM enjoying music, gardening, outdoor adventures and an unquenchable curiosity for life‐long learning.
 

DARIAN SWIG, Director
"My TPW West experience was life-changing. The TPW team helped me to design a Human Rights Theory of Change framework that to this day serves as a personalized blueprint on how to engage with impact. As a cohort "graduate," I find the Network program to be equally rich in learning opportunities. Together, maybe we can change the world for the better."

(Cohort 5) Darian Swig is founder & president of Article 3 Advisors, a consulting practice that works at the nexus of human rights and strategic philanthropy. Through volunteerism and professional practice, Darian’s core focus is to advocate, strengthen and protect universal human rights. She serves on the boards of Human Rights Watch, Fund for Global for Human Rights and The Philanthropy Workshop West as well as the advisory boards of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard, Human Rights Center at U.C. Berkeley, Africa Division of Human Rights Watch and the Coalition for the International Criminal Court. Darian is a past trustee of the World Affairs Council of Northern California, Commonwealth Club and founding board member of Genocide Intervention Network. Darian served by mayoral appointment as Public Library Commissioner(2002‐2004) and Civil Grand Juror (1999‐2000) for the City & County of San Francisco. She is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, International Human Rights Funders Group, Global Philanthropy Forum, and Clinton Global Initiative. Prior to 2001, Darian worked for nearly a decade in the field of international protocol, coordinating and overseeing Head of State visits for both local government and the private sector. She holds dual master’s degrees in Political Science and International Area studies with a focus on preventing atrocity crimes from the University of California at Berkeley.