About PVF > Foundation Staff
Bill Somerville
President and Founder of PVF, Bill brings 48 years of experience in non-profit work, including 17 years as Executive Director of the Peninsula Community Foundation.
Bill is nationally recognized as an expert on creative grantmaking. He has consulted at over 400 community foundations in the United States, Canada and abroad on effective operations and grantmaking. Bill publishes the periodical Building Community Foundations, distributed to 950 community foundations worldwide. He currently teaches courses on philanthropy at Stanford University, UC Berkeley's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and Laney Community College, in Oakland, CA.
Grassroots Philanthropy: Field Notes of a Maverick Grantmaker, by Bill Somerville with Fred Setterberg, published in February 2008 by Heyday Press, is a guide to decisive, hands-on grantmaking, to energize and motivate individual donors, foundation grantmakers, and nonprofit leaders alike.
Bill is a recipient of the 2004 Gerbode Fellowship Award in recognition of outstanding achievement as a non-profit executive. He is a member of the National Advisory Board, Haas Center for Public Service, Stanford University, and the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare Advisory Board.
Email: bsomerville@venturesfoundation.org
Dawn Hawk
Program Officer, handles PVF grantmaking, conducting site visits, outreach and evaluations of non-profit organizations. She is responsible for PVF's trademark Immediate Response Resource Grants Programs. Dawn's expertise is in program design and administration.
She received a Master of Arts in Film Production from San Francisco State University and has a diverse background in small business management, teaching and film production.
Email: dhawk@venturesfoundation.org
Lindy Anderson
Administrative Assistant, responsible for office management and program and development support. Lindy received a BA in Marketing and Management from the University of Northern Colorado. After graduating, she served with AmeriCorps as a Public Ally of Silicon Valley, placed in the City of East Palo Alto. In East Palo Alto, students are bussed to one of four high schools outside of the city. Lindy worked with these youth to set up youth governance clubs, organize events, develop community service projects, and most importantly, develop relationships with one another. Lindy loves to participate in community service, particularly with organizations focused on social justice.
Email: landerson@venturesfoundation.org
Nick does a sound check while recording the Great Wall Orchestra at the Asian Art Museum. With Youth Sounds, an after-school media production program in Oakland, CA, youth learn to articulate how they see themselves and the world around them.
Youth Sounds was funded by a PVF Discretionary Grant