Board of Directors
From left to right: Ken Tamura, Geraldine Poon, Paula Morris, Kenneth James, Caitlin Stanton, Patricia Johnson, Molly Hoyt, Kyra Lilien, Rajasvini Bhansali, Mamta Ahluwalia and Aaron Zukoski. (Not shown, Diane Dodge and Paula Vlamings.)
Mamta Ahluwalia
Attorney
Currently a Deputy Public Defender in Contra Costa County, Mamta spent part of her childhood in India and holds a Bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology and English from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Washington. IDEX's approach to inequality and development resonates with Mamta, who contributes her legal skills to IDEX and acts as an advocate for IDEX's philosophy and work.
Mamta has previously worked in South Africa and Brazil.
Rajasvini Bhansali
IDEX Executive Director, IDEX
Rajasvini, known as Vini, is passionate about building the capacity of people and organizations to facilitate sustainable social change. Before joining IDEX in early 2010, Vini worked as Chief Operating Officer for a nationally renowned social enterprise and youth development organization. She has also worked in Kenya, India, the United States and Canada.
A native of India, Vini earned a Master's in Public Affairs with a focus on Technology and Telecommunications Policy from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Vini also holds a Bachelor's degree in Astrophysics and Interdisciplinary Studies from UC Berkeley.
Vini also serves on the board of CUSO-VSO, an international volunteering organization and is the co-founder of Sukuma for Opportunities, a social enterprise that supports youth vocational training in East Africa. Read more about Vini.
Diane Dodge
Executive Director, Seven Tepees Youth Program
With nearly two decades of experience in non-profit management and 10 years of experience as an educator, Diane has traveled extensively and has lived in all of the countries in which IDEX partners operate.
Attracted to IDEX's mission, partnership model, and people, Diane has personally visited several IDEX partners in Africa. Having learned firsthand that IDEX partners serve their communities with dedication, compassion, wisdom, and integrity, Diane believes that the most important aspect of IDEX's work is the difference it makes in the lives of so many people.
Diane holds a Master's of Science in Education and a Master's of Arts in Education Administration.
Molly Hoyt
Principal Product Manager, Emerging Products at Pacific Gas & Electric
An Environmental Programs Manager at PG&E with a passion for sustainable development, Molly holds a Master's of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.
Molly's search for San Francisco-based non-profits working on sustainable solutions to poverty in developing countries led her to IDEX, where she hopes to contribute her experience in strategic marketing and connect with others passionate about sustainable development.
Prior to her work with PG&E, Molly helped bridge the public, private, and non-profit sectors as a sustainable business consultant. Previously she worked in product management and marketing for international wireless telecom firms.
Kenneth L. James
Chair
Executive, Pacific Gas & Electric
Co-chair, Consortium for Energy Efficiency’s Research and Evaluation committee
US West Coast Director, African Leadership Institute, South Africa
With a background in management, education, and leadership, Kenneth was attracted to IDEX's passion for improving the lives of others.
He received a Doctorate in International Organization and Leadership Development from the University of San Francisco and a Master's in Nuclear Chemistry from University of Eastern Michigan. He also holds a Bachelor's degree in Analytical Chemistry from Benedict College and has participated in Executive Education in Strategy and Innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management and at the UC Berkeley Center for Executive Development.
IDEX has taught Kenneth that his actions, regardless of how small, can make a big difference in the lives of others. He has also learned that amazing things can be achieved when working with people with passion.
Kenneth also sits on the U.S. West Coast Regional Advisory Board's Institute of International Education (IIE), and the Advisory Board for Strategic Energy Innovations.
Patricia Johnson
Treasurer
Executive Director, Game Theory Academy
Director, California Council on Youth Relations
Patricia is the Director/Founder of Game Theory Academy, an economic literacy program for at-risk youth. Previously she was Finance and Development Director for Pacific News Service/New America Media, where she founded and ran several youth media projects including The Know, in Fresno, California.
Patricia holds a Master's of Business Administration from Yale and a Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley. Prior to earning her MBA, Patricia participated in youth organizing and media work for the Prague-based NGO, the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly.
She took the role as board member and Treasurer at IDEX in 2008 due to a desire to reconnect with international development work, specifically with IDEX's focus on local, grassroots efforts.
Kyra Lilien
Vice-Chair
Attorney
An attorney in immigration and international human rights, Kyra was drawn to IDEX to remain connected to international issues and to contribute to and support a rights-based model of development.
When she is not working, Kyra enjoys travel and pursuing her interest in constitutional law and other fascinating legal issues.
Paula Morris
Program Director, Flexible Leadership Investment Program, Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
Paula began her professional career as a teacher with degree in Modern Languages, and has since spent 25 years working in nonprofit management-first internationally and now in the United States. She is currently the Program Director for the Flexible Leadership Investment Program, supporting leadership development for grantees of the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.
Having witnessed firsthand the power of community-initiated grassroots development projects during her time working in Indonesia and Zimbabwe, Paula was naturally drawn to IDEX.
LGBT rights are another focus of Paula's volunteer work and giving, and she is very active with Horizons Foundation.
Geraldine Poon
Associate Director in Corporate and Government Ratings, Standard & Poor’s
Geraldine works as a credit analyst for nonprofit healthcare at Standard & Poor's. She studied Art and German at UC Berkeley and holds a Master's of Business Administration from the Yale School of Management.
Geraldine believes in IDEX's mission and its talented and industrious staff. Her international development experience includes a stint with the Peace Corps, where she volunteered in Ghana.
Caitlin Stanton
Development Officer, Global Fund for Women
Since 2001, Caitlin has worked at the Global Fund for Women, an IDEX sister organization. Her background is mostly in development, both individual and institutional fundraising. Prior to joining the Global Fund for Women, she worked on fundraising for the East Bay Institute of Urban Arts in Oakland.
Caitlin holds a Bachelor's degree in Dramatic Arts from Mills College and she has studied in South Africa with the School for International Training. Although Caitlin was aware of IDEX growing up, she didn't fully recognize its value until she met with community groups while studying in South Africa. The sheer ingenuity and effectiveness of these local groups showed her just how far IDEX resources could go.
A volunteer for her college Alumni Association, Caitlin writes up notable alumna profiles for their newsletter and enjoys interviewing fascinating and accomplished women.
Ken Tamura
Director of Strategic Planning & Analysis, Autodesk Inc.
Currently a Director of Strategic Planning & Analysis at Autodesk- a leading global software company for 2D/3D design solutions- Ken has more than 20 years of business experience and has held positions at The Walt Disney Co., Time Warner, Inc., Ernst & Young LLP, and Scient Corp.
Ken was drawn to non-profit board service by a desire to give back to the community in the form of professional advice and passionate commitment/service. Ken was particularly attracted to IDEX's global reach, unique mission, solid track record and the highly motivated, energetic and committed staff and board members.
A Certified Public Accountant, Ken holds Master's of Business Administration in Global Management from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and a Bachelor's in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara.
Paula Vlamings
Director of Programs, Institute at the Golden Gate
Board of Directors, The Balanced Rock Foundation
Paula is the Program Director at the Institute at the Golden Gate-an environmental organization with a mission to promote a more sustainable world. Paula's background has been primarily in the public policy arena, including stints with the California State Legislature, the 9th Circuit of U.S. Courts, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and the Presidio Trust of San Francisco.
Paula's work encompasses finding the connection between creating economic opportunity-primarily for women-and environmental preservation. A world traveler, Paula wanted to foster a connection with an organization that was accomplishing these goals on the ground. She believes that she will learn much from IDEX.
Paula holds a Bachelor's of Science in Political Science from Virginia Tech, and a Master's in Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento.
Aaron Zukoski
Co-Founder, Do Good Lab
Member, Association of Fundraising Professionals
Aaron is a Sales Manager at clicktime.com, which services clients across the globe with time tracking cloud-hosted software. A desire to give back inspired Aaron to join the global fight against poverty, and Aaron was drawn to IDEX's exemplary work in developing nations, as well as its position that poverty alleviation starts from the ground up.
Aaron holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication from San Francisco State University.
Blog
A Plea For Pakistan: How You Can Help
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
While floodwaters are beginning to recede in many areas, Pakistan remains caught in the grips of one of the most devastating natural disasters in the country’s history.