Contact: Valerie Goode, San Francisco Foundation
vgoode[at]sff.org
April 13, 2020 —Today the San Francisco Foundation announced promotions within the foundation and that it has added two team members to the organization.
Elena Chávez Quezada, who previously served as Director of the foundation’s People Pathway, has been named Vice President of Programs, overseeing the organization’s main grantmaking activities and community leadership connected to its People, Place, and Power pathways. The People Pathway focuses on helping ensure that Bay Area residents have a good job, can build wealth, and can save for the future.
Jidan Terry-Koon, who previously served as Senior Program Officer in the People Pathway, has been named Director of that pathway’s grantmaking and community leadership activities.
Khanh Russo has joined the organization as Senior Director of the Partnership for the Bay’s Future & Great Communities Collaborative. The Partnership for the Bay’s Future is an initiative focused on strengthening a vibrant, racially and economically diverse Bay Area by addressing the interconnected needs of housing, transportation, and economic opportunity. The Partnership was launched with the support of the San Francisco Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and a number of local and national funders and corporate partners. The Great Communities Collaborative is a partnership dedicated to creating healthy, thriving neighborhoods across the Bay Area, working to connect transportation, housing, climate resilience, and land use to advance equity.
Lea Oliver-Gelwicks has joined as the Director of Planning and Analysis. In partnership with the Investment and Accounting teams at the foundation, Oliver-Gelwicks will help guide the financial management of the foundation, managing budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and financial analysis.
The San Francisco Foundation has been a leading grantmaker and advocate to advance racial equity and economic inclusion across the region. The current coronavirus outbreak has brought these goals into stark relief. These promotions and additions occur as the foundation has worked to ensure that the response to the COVID crisis fully protects members of the community in greatest need.
“We are thrilled to announce these promotions and to welcome our new colleagues,” said Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation. “They are leading the way on our work to create a more equitable Bay Area for all residents. Across the board, they bring the professional acumen, personal connections, and passion that embodies how we approach this critical work in the region.”
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Elena Chávez Quezada, Vice President of Programs
Most recently serving as Senior Director of the San Francisco Foundation’s People Pathway, Elena Chávez Quezada led the foundation’s efforts related to expanding access to economic opportunity. Prior to this role, Chávez Quezada was the senior program officer at the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, and was a senior program officer at Tipping Point Community.
Read more about Elena: https://sff.org/team-members/elena-chavez-quezada/
Khanh Russo, Senior Director, Partnership for the Bay’s Future & Great Communities Collaborative
Khanh Russo leads two of the foundation’s major collaborative projects and brings more than fifteen years of experience in philanthropy, business development, corporate affairs, government relations, and program implementation to this work. Russo’s commitment to the public and social sector is demonstrated through his philanthropic work with the City of San Jose/Office of Mayor Sam Liccardo, Cisco Systems, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, North Hills Community Outreach and The Forbes Funds.
Read more about Khanh Russo: https://sff.org/team-members/khanh-russo/
Jidan Terry-Koon, MPA/URP, Director of the People Pathway
Most recently serving as Senior Program Officer of the foundation’s People Pathway, Jidan Terry-Koon is a community organizer, grantmaker, and community-centered advocate with deep movement expertise. She has more than 20 years of organizing, policy advocacy, organizational development, and philanthropic experience. Prior to joining the foundation, she served as Deputy Director for Mobilize the Immigrant Vote, bringing together youth organizing and electoral engagement that ultimately became Power CA.
Read more about Jidan Terry-Koon: https://sff.org/team-members/jidan-terry-koon/
Lea Oliver-Gelwicks, Director of Planning and Analysis
Lea Oliver-Gelwicks joins the foundation from KIPP Bay Area Public Schools where she was the Associate Director of Finance. Previous to that, she served as Finance Manager at Room to Read, an award-winning non-profit organization that improves literacy and gender equality in education in the developing world. She served on the advisory board of Global Glimpse and has dedicated her career to financial planning and management of large nonprofits, combining her skills in working with data and connecting with people.
Read more about Lea Oliver-Gelwicks: https://sff.org/team-members/lea-oliver-gelwicks/
