Contact: Ling Woo Liu, lliu[at]sff.org
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – San Francisco Foundation (SFF) announces that David ibnAle and Justina Lai have been appointed Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. Their two-year appointments are in effect until June 30, 2027.
“We are incredibly grateful to continue working with David and Justina in this capacity,” says CEO Fred Blackwell. “Their expertise in economic inclusion and impact investing strengthens our leadership and ability to advance racial equity in the Bay Area.”
David ibnAle has served on the foundation’s Board since 2018 and since 2020 has also served as the chair of the foundation’s Investment Committee. He is the founding and managing partner of Advance Venture Partners, a San Francisco based venture capital firm and has thirty years of experience as a technology investor. He is currently a member of the Boards of Directors of Affinity, Alto Solutions, Autoleap, Boulder Care, Curology, Midi Health, Morning Consult, Nativo, Urban Sitter, and Ultra Clean Holdings (Nasdaq: UCTT). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Black Economic Alliance Venture Fund.
“I am deeply honored to continue the work of my predecessor, Bob Friedman, in supporting Fred Blackwell and the rest of the San Francisco Foundation board, leadership team and staff in advancing racial equity and economic inclusion in the San Francisco Bay Area,” said David. “I believe that the Bay Area continues to have the potential to demonstrate that economic opportunity and prosperity do not need to be limited to the few or leave broad swaths of our communities behind. I could not be more excited about the opportunity to work more closely with the hundreds of donors, thousands of grantees and broad range of partners who share this belief and are working tirelessly to make it a reality.”
Justina Lai has served on the foundation’s Board since 2020 and is also a member of the foundation’s Investment Committee. She has over 20 years of experience in the investment industry, the past 17 years of which have been dedicated to harnessing capital for social and environmental good. At Laird Norton Wetherby (LNW), she leads the firm’s impact investing strategy and has grown LNW’s impact assets to over $2.6 billion, expanded impact investment strategies to clients, and leads initiatives to integrate impact across the firm’s business strategy and operations. Prior to LNW, she held a grantmaking and impact investing role at the Rockefeller Foundation, led impact investing strategies at Sonen Capital, and worked in traditional private equity investing.
“I am honored to serve as Vice Chair of the San Francisco Foundation’s Board of Trustees and help steward its critical mission of advancing equity and opportunity across the Bay Area. I am excited to continue supporting the foundation’s efforts to leverage its resources toward building a more inclusive and just region in which all our communities can thrive.”
On June 30, Bob Friedman completed his term as Chair of the Board, as well as 10 years on the Board of Trustees.
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About the San Francisco Foundation
The San Francisco Foundation is committed to a Bay Area where everyone can get a good job, live in a safe and affordable home, and exercise their political voice. The foundation advances its work through grantmaking, partnerships with donors, policy advocacy, and impact investing.
