SMART GROWTH CALIFORNIA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director of Programs at the Funders' Network for Smart Growth
- the Funders Network
Ann is director of programs at the Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities (TFN). Based in Boston, Ann leads TFN's responsive service work in the Northeast, staffs the GREEN! working group and Partners for Places (P4P) grant program, advises TFN's Northeast Funders' Network and Stormwater Funders Group, and manages the Network's team of field contractors.
Ann is a past trustee of the Beldon Fund, and currently a trustee of the Environmental League of Massachusetts. She has a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Duke University and has a Master's degree with a concentration in environmental policy from Tufts University.
Job Titles:
- Program Associate
- in 2023 As Program Associate
Anna Jen joined Smart Growth California in 2023 as Program Associate. She also currently serves as a Program Officer at Central Valley Community Foundation, where she oversees the Economic Development portfolio. Having moved back to her hometown of Fresno after a decade away, she is excited to be back in CA working to create a more equitable and impactful philanthropic sector.
Previously, Anna was on the Program team at the Boston Foundation, where she focused on the Economic Inclusion and Arts & Culture strategies. She also was part of the foundation-wide Equity and Inclusion committee, where she helped establish the first Staff of Color affinity group. Prior to the Boston Foundation, Anna held various program manager positions at nonprofit organizations that focused on economic mobility, entrepreneurship, and youth development through sports. She also spent two years after college living abroad in China where she taught English and business classes to university students and business professionals. She holds an MBA and Masters in Sustainable Development from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
In her free time, Anna loves to run, read, hike, garden, travel, and spend time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Manager With the California Endowment
Christine Tien is a Senior Program Manager with The California Endowment (TCE) and is part of the Northern California Region team and the statewide Inclusive Community Development team. From 2009 through 2020, Christine oversaw TCE's Sacramento Building Healthy Communities plan. Prior to TCE, Christine worked in local government for 11 years holding positions as Deputy City Manager for the Cities of Union City and Stockton. She has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from UC Berkeley, a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona's College of Law.
Craig Martinez joined The California Endowment in May 2012 as a program manager tasked with supporting policy and system change efforts to create healthier neighborhoods. He is based in The California Endowment's Los Angeles office and began serving on the steering committee of Smart Growth California in 2013 and the board of the Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities (TFN) in March of 2015.
Prior to joining The Endowment, Craig served as a health policy advisor in the Majority Health Policy Office of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, first under the Chairmanship of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and subsequently under the Chairmanship of Senator Tom Harkin. His legislative portfolio on the HELP Committee included issues relating to public health, disease prevention, health disparities, mental health, HIV/AIDS, and public health preparedness.
Craig received his Bachelor of Science from Stanford University, and holds both a Master of Public Health and a Doctorate in Public Health in child and adolescent health and development from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has also worked in numerous community-based organizations addressing adolescent health concerns including HIV/AIDS, violence prevention, and environmental health.
Job Titles:
- NextGen Policy Center
- Senior Policy Advisor at Next
David Weiskopf is Senior Policy Advisor at NextGen California. His work addresses climate change, clean energy, and ending our dependence on fossil fuels with policy solutions that prioritize both social equity and environmental integrity.
Prior to joining NextGen, David was a Schneider Clean Energy Fellow with the Natural Resources Defense Council's Midwest office in Chicago, where he advocated for clean energy and energy efficiency with Midwestern electric utilities and governments.
David is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and currently based in Sacramento, California. He holds a JD from Stanford Law School and an MS from Stanford School of Earth Sciences, and an MA in Philosophy from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He is a member of the CA and IL State Bars.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager
- in 2023 As Program Manager
Diana Williams joined Smart Growth California in 2023 as Program Manager. Based in Sacramento, Diana brings a background in journalism, nonprofit leadership and philanthropy.
Previously, Diana led funder engagement with federal and state policymakers as public policy director at The Funders' Network (TFN) in Washington, DC. As executive director of Urban Ecology, an Oakland-based community design center, Diana led a team offering pro-bono planning services to communities at risk of gentrification and displacement. In other roles, Diana served as communications director for the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California, a grant maker focused on sustainable communities and a beat reporter for several Bay Area newspapers.
Raised in Atlanta and Queens, Diana studied history at Hamilton College and received her Master in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
When she's not biking or hiking with her husband and three teenaged kids, Diana is working with her midtown Sacramento neighborhood to advocate for more affordable housing and safer streets.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Officer at the Water Foundation
- the Water Foundation
Elizabeth Söderström is a senior program officer at the Water Foundation. She has spent the last several decades working at the nexus of program strategy and philanthropy delivering resources to address environmental issues in the water sector. Previously, as part of the Strategic Partnerships team at the Water Foundation, Elizabeth helped develop and deliver on fundraising strategies.
Before joining the Water Foundation, Elizabeth was senior director of conservation and development at American Rivers. Prior to that she was director of the Sierra and Africa Rivers Program at the Natural Heritage Institute. Elizabeth serves on the boards of the Consensus Building Institute, the Stockholm Environment Institute, and CHIRP, a non-profit is guided by the Nevada City Rancheria Tribal Council. She also sits on the advisory board of the South Yuba Citizens League. Elizabeth received a BA in English Literature, a BS in Biological Sciences, and an MS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, as well as a PhD in Wildlands Resource Science and River Science from UC Berkeley.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair ) the SEED FUND
- Executive Director of the Seed Fund
Emma-Louise Anderson has been the executive director of the Seed Fund for almost ten years, prior to which she was the Deputy Head of Political, Press & Public Affairs and the Cultural Attache for the British Consulate General in San Francisco. Emma-Louise began her career in non profit Arts Management and has worked all over the Bay Area in organizations including Headlands Center for the Arts, the Mexican Museum and the Maritime Museum. She holds a BA Honours in English Literature, Music & Theatre from the University of Sussex, U.K. She is an avid road cyclist, having completed eight Climate Rides in the past five years and a bay swimmer- she recently swam from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge to raise funds and awareness for BayKeeper, a local Bay Area non-profit. She lives with her two children in San Geronimo, California.
Job Titles:
- Manager of San Diego Foundation 's Climate Initiatives
- the SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION
As Manager of San Diego Foundation's Climate Initiatives, Everett endeavors to provide leadership and drive philanthropic investment that promote a sustainable path to economic growth and a thriving quality of life for San Diego's diverse communities. He plays a critical role in developing cross-sector partnerships and working with communities to advance equitable climate resilience efforts for the Foundation.
Prior to joining the San Diego Foundation, Everett served in various public sector roles where he wore many hats as an informal educator, academic counselor, volunteer coordinator, environmental programs administrator and grant writer. Everett is passionate about cultivating opportunities for others and is currently chair of Leaders 20/20, a professional network for emerging environmental professionals and leaders.
Everett holds a bachelor's degree in Earth Sciences from the University of California Santa Cruz and a master's degree in Public Policy and Administration from the California Lutheran University where he focused on environmental policymaking in the United States.
Job Titles:
- Program Officer for Cal Wellness
Jamie N. Schenker is a program officer for Cal Wellness' Community Well-being portfolio. In her role, she reviews letters of interest, evaluates grant proposals, conducts site visits, and makes funding recommendations. She brings over 15 years' experience in grantmaking, evaluation and organizational learning. She is passionate about supporting social change and racial justice efforts to ensure all people are safe and healthy.
Schenker was appointed to her current position after serving as evaluation officer at Cal Wellness for over six years. During her tenure, she developed evaluation and organizational tools, designed trainings for staff, and designed internal processes to evaluate grantmaking. Additionally, she led efforts to support learning and documentation through grants data.
Prior to joining Cal Wellness in September 2013, she was a program specialist for collaborative philanthropy at Northern California Grantmakers (NCG), where she managed two loan programs for nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area. Before her time at NCG, she was a program assistant at Cal Wellness working on organizational learning and evaluation. She also served as a project manager at Abundantia Consulting, where she led evaluation projects for nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.
Schenker previously served as cochair for Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy's Bay Area chapter. She earned her master's degree in public administration, with a concentration in nonprofit administration, and her bachelor's degree in sociology from San Francisco State University.
Kaying serves on the senior management team for Sierra Health Foundation and the Center for Health Program Management as the President of The Center at Sierra Health Foundation. Previously, she had served as the director of health programs, and prior to that was a senior program officer when she joined the foundation in 2013.
Before joining Sierra Health Foundation, Kaying served as associate director for Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, where she worked with foundations, affinity groups, public policy groups and immigrant rights organizations. Previously, she served as senior program officer at the Otto Bremer Foundation in Minnesota and a program officer and senior consultant with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation.
Before she began her career in philanthropy, Kaying worked in state government as the state coordinator of the Refugee Health Program for the Minnesota Department of Health, and as assistant regional coordinator for the Refugee and Immigrant Health Program for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She served as the first Co-Chair of the national board of National Asian Pacific Women's Forum (NAPAWF) based in Washington DC, and served on the board of Asian Americans in Philanthropy (AAPIP).
Job Titles:
- Program Officer at Resources Legacy Fund
- Resources Legacy Fund
Laura Tam is a program officer at Resources Legacy Fund (RLF), where she leads public policy and funding strategies for wildfire, climate, and community resilience in California through philanthropy, advocacy, coalition-building, and communications. Laura has over 20 years of experience working with government and community stakeholders to advance environmental policy, sustainable urbanism, healthy communities, and climate resilience.
Before coming to RLF in 2020, Laura was Sustainable Development Policy Director at the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), a leading urban public policy think-tank. In that capacity, she led the organization's policy research and advocacy on water, energy, and climate, and served on several advisory bodies to Bay Area governments as well as the Board of Directors of Friends of the Urban Forest (San Francisco). Earlier in her career, Laura held roles at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Northern Forest Center (NH). She has an AB in Geography from Dartmouth College and a Master's degree in Environmental Management from the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Maria Cabildo CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Maria Cabildo leads CCF's Housing and Economic Opportunity initiatives, including its discretionary grantmaking activities and Program Related Investments. She oversees project management, community engagement, and convening activities related to CCF's housing and economic opportunity program areas. Prior to CCF, Cabildo was a Senior Advisor at Advancement Project California (APCA), leading their strategic initiatives, including RACE COUNTS, its racial disparity policy, and data platform. Before APCA, she was a 2019 Loeb Fellow at Harvard University. Cabildo has a long career in public service. She has held positions in the nonprofit, private, and government sectors, including over fifteen years as the CEO of a nonprofit she co-founded. She has served as an appointee on state and local boards, including Los Angeles' City Planning Commission, LAUSD's Construction Bond Citizens' Oversight Committee, and the California Housing Partnership. She earned a bachelor's degree in Urban Studies from Columbia University, a master's degree in Urban Planning from UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs, and a Certificate in Advanced Environmental Studies from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Principal of ReFrame It Consulting
Mark Valentine is the founder and principal of ReFrame It Consulting, which works with foundations and individual donors on grantmaking program design, implementation, and evaluation. In parallel, ReFrame It offers nonprofit organizations a range of services that include strategic planning, organizational development, and executive coaching. Mark and his colleagues have advised groups working across a diverse array of issues, including: smart growth and sustainable land use, environmental health, energy and climate, marine and coastal conservation, and conservation finance. Amongst his clients is a private donor advisory service for which he manages a portfolio of grants focused on advancing sustainable land use policy in key regions of California. Mark served as a founding co-chair of Smart Growth California. See Mark's reflections on Smart Growth California's growth over 10 years.
Prior to founding ReFrame It, Mark was a program director with the Packard Foundation where he helped establish the nation's largest conservation grantmaking program with initiatives across the western United States, Mexico, China, and the Western Pacific. In addition, he created an innovative interdisciplinary grantmaking initiative that highlighted the opportunities for strategic synergy between reproductive health, environment, and community development initiatives in select geographies within the Foundation's global portfolio.
Mark has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities (TFN) as well as on the Management Committee of the Environmental Grantmakers Association. He currently serves on the Boards of Director of the Center for the New American Dream, Resource Media, and EcoTrust Canada.
Job Titles:
- Senior Initiative Officer
Ricardo G. Huerta Niño is the Senior Initiative Officer, Great Communities Collaborative at the San Francisco Foundation. Ricardo leads the GCC in strategy development and partnership to move the region towards a more equitable and sustainable Bay Area where low-income and communities of color can stay in place and thrive. He works together with funders, non-profits, and public sector partners to identify, implement, and leverage policy and financing strategies in the region. In addition, Ricardo leads GCC's fundraising and development strategy, manages convenings and funder network meetings and works to build greater alignment across partners.
Before coming to GCC, Ricardo was working as a consultant to nonprofits, local governments, regional agencies, and philanthropic foundations. His most recent work was as a consultant for city planning and community engagement focused on racial equity, housing, transportation, workforce development, and pandemic response efforts. Ricardo served as Policy Director for Collective Impact in the Mayor's Office in Oakland, leading multi-sector collaborative projects focused on education and youth development. His earlier experience includes working in philanthropy as a program officer and consultant focused on a range of issues including immigrant and refugee rights, environmental justice, leadership development, and criminal justice reform.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR
- Coordinator of the Los Angeles Funders' Collaborative
Ron Milam joined Smart Growth California in 2014 as the coordinator of the Los Angeles Funders' Collaborative and since fall of 2017, has directed Smart Growth California. Ron brings 17 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, having served over 150 sustainability-oriented organizations as a consultant.
Ron is skilled at developing leadership, building stronger teams, improving organizational effectiveness, and facilitating collaborative change. He brings an understanding of issues related to transportation, land use, climate, housing, water, the environment and racial equity. He served as the founding executive director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Under Ron's leadership, the organization grew from an idea into a 1,000 member organization.
Ron studied planning, public policy, and management at the University of Oregon, and has a Masters in Organization Development from Pepperdine University, where he wrote his thesis on managing collaborative change efforts in Southern California.
Job Titles:
- Enterprise Community Partners
- Senior Program Director at Enterprise Community Partners
Sally Greenspan is a senior program director at Enterprise Community Partners, where she leads Enterprise's Statewide Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Technical Assistance (AHSC TA) practice. In this role, Sally works to advance dozens of innovative projects around the state that are combining affordable housing with sustainable transportation infrastructure investments to create sustainable, thriving, connected communities. Sally joined Enterprise in 2009 as a project manager working on housing redevelopment projects involving close collaboration with numerous public and private partners. Sally also previously lead Enterprise's New York based Vulnerable Populations program, which is devoted to leveraging affordable housing tools to create opportunity for people with special needs, especially seniors and those experiencing homelessness.
Sally's background includes positions in private real estate, architecture, public policy and research, and urban planning. She holds an undergraduate degree in urban studies from Stanford University and a master's in urban planning from New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.
Job Titles:
- Energy Fellow With the Natural Resources Defense Council 's Midwest
Job Titles:
- Community Health Manager for Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region
Susanna Osorno-Crandall is a Community Health Manager for Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region. Susanna leads a broad portfolio that spans mental health, equity, and environmental stewardship. She is responsible for strategy development, grantmaking, scoping new strategic partnerships, and working with internal and external cross-system stakeholders to advance social health projects. Before joining the KP team, Susanna was the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW) in San Francisco. She led place-based initiatives, strategic partnerships, community education, and community engagement. Susanna was also a leader in Juvenile Justice Reform and youth development as the Manager of Juvenile Justice Initiatives at the Center for Court Innovation (CCI) in New York City. She was responsible for implementing the Juvenile Gang Task Force, a multi-stakeholder collaborative to reduce juvenile gang involvement and violence in East Harlem. She supervised all youth programming at the Harlem Community Justice Center.
Susanna earned her Bachelor of Arts in sociology, with a minor in criminal justice from San Francisco State University and a Master's in Public Administration from Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University.