Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Moira C. Walsh, Chair
Moira C. Walsh, Chair
Former Managing Attorney,
Office of the San Francisco City Attorney
Moira Walsh is the former Managing Attorney of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. She previously served as the COO of PVF. Prior to joining PVF, Moira was a partner in the law firm of Carr, McClellen, Ingersoll, Thompson & Horn PC. Moira has led and served on the boards of many non-profit organizations, including the Thomas J. Long Foundation, SF Court Appointed Special Advocates, Friends of Potreo Hill, and the SF Waldorf School. Moira received a BA in Communications from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a JD from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Alicia Aguirre
Alicia Aguirre
Council Member, Redwood City
Professor, Cañada College
Alicia Aguirre is the former Mayor of the City Redwood City and is a serving member of the City Council, appointed in 2005 and elected in 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2015. She also served as a Trustee and the President of the Redwood City Elementary School Board and on numerous community boards in San Mateo County and the State of California. Alicia has taught at Cañada College since 1988 as a professor in the English Institute and the Spanish Departments. She holds an M.A. from Eastern Michigan University and was a Fulbright Exchange Professor in Argentina.
Duncan Beardsley
Duncan Beardsley
Director,
Generosity in Action
Duncan Beardsley manages Generosity in Action, an organization which supports international travelers’ philanthropy. He is the former Director of the Stanford Alumni Association Travel/Study Programs. He also served as the Marketing Director and Executive Vice President of Royal Cruise Line and as President of Seabourn Cruise Line.
James R. Cody
James R. Cody
Director of Estate & Gift Planning,
Rosewood Family Advisors, LLP
James Cody is the Director of Estate & Gift Planning at Rosewood Family Advisors, LLP. He previously was a Managing Director at CTC | myCFO and a partner in a SF Bay Area law firm, where he practiced law for 17 years. Mr. Cody earned a BA degree in economics from Yale University, an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and a JD from the UC Hastings College of the Law.
James Higa
James Higa
Executive Director,
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
James Higa is Executive Director of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation. He brings 28 years of executive experience from Silicon Valley, working with Steve Jobs to change the face of technology. He was at the birth of the personal computer revolution as a member of the original Macintosh team and was deeply involved in the creation of many products and services at Apple over 3 decades. He has a long history of public service as a board member of Stanford’s Haas Center and in grassroots relief efforts.
Bill Somerville
Bill Somerville
Founder,
Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
Bill Somerville is Founder of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation. He has been in non-profit and philanthropic work for over 50 years. He was the director of a community foundation for 17 years, and in 1991 founded Philanthropic Ventures Foundation where he serves as President. Bill has consulted at over 400 community foundations, on creative grantmaking and foundation operations. Bill is the author of “Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker.”
Kamba Tshionyi
Kamba Tshionyi
Director of External Relations, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Haas Center for Public Service
Kamba Tshionyi is the Director of External Relations at Stanford University's Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Haas Center for Public Service. He was previously the Executive Director of three youth development nonprofits in the Bay Area, as well as most recently working at the intersection of financial services and impact investing at three firms. In addition to experience serving on several nonprofit boards, Mr. Tshionyi was the chair of the 50 Fund, the philanthropic arm of Super Bowl 50. Mr. Tshionyi received his Master’s from the London School of Economics and his undergraduate degree from Stanford, where he was a four-year scholarship athlete and co-captain of the Final Four basketball team.
Colburn S. Wilbur
Colburn S. Wilbur
Former President,
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Cole Wilbur is the former President of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. He also previously served as Interim President of the California Wellness Foundation. Mr. Wilbur received the Council on Foundation’s Distinguished Grantmaker Award in 1999. He was previously Executive Director and CEO of the Sierra Club Foundation. Mr. Wilbur received his undergraduate and Master of Business Administration degrees from Stanford University and is the co-author of “The Complete Guide to Grantmaking Basics.”

PVF Close-Up: Board Member Praise for PVF's Grantmaking

Learn about PVF Board Member Cole Wilbur’s take on PVF’s grassroots grantmaking approach.

“PVF has taken philanthropy from the traditional grantmaking paper shuffle, to the neighborhoods and classrooms. Bill Somerville’s creative and entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with his willingness to experiment and trust, has reinvigorated crucially important non-profit groups while helping to save lives on the edges of American society.”

 

– Jackie Speier, US Representative, 14th Congressional District of California