About Us

Meet the team behind GivingEdge & Big Day of Giving

At the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, we're all about building a stronger, more generous community. We care about fostering the giving spirit in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo counties, so we designed this website — GivingEdge — to make it easy for generous people to discover local nonprofits. And we coordinate the region's annual giving day — Big Day of Giving — to celebrate the important work they do and the supporters, like you, who make it possible!

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The pace of change in our community is swift. To ensure that everyone who lives, works, and plays in the Sacramento region has the opportunity to flourish, our social sector must be robust — and robustly supported. That's where we come in.

This work is at the heart of our mission at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. We 💛 the Sacramento region and all of its dynamic, diverse communities. 

That's why we work in partnership with our donors and community partners to make it more equitable and vibrant for all — through leadership efforts like GivingEdge and Big Day of Giving, yes — as well as the philanthropic services we provide to make giving easy and effective for individuals, families, and businesses who care.

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We do more than Big Day of Giving. Our philanthropic services make it easy for generous people, like you, to maximize your impact, help your neighbors, and leave a legacy of good. 

We help you support causes you care about easily and effectively, immediately or through your estate. Think of it as the better way to establish a private foundation: Donors establish charitable funds with us (or our partner, Yolo Community Foundation) and then make grants from their personalized funds to support the causes they love or offer scholarships to students pursuing higher education. 

And opening a charitable fund is as simple as:

1. Give

From the list below, donors choose the charitable funds that match their philanthropic goals and make gifts to open personalized funds at the Foundation.

2. Grow

Their charitable fund grows through sound investments, enabling them to make a greater immediate and long-term impact.

3. Grant

They direct grants from their charitable fund to the causes that matter to them and their loved ones, and our team handles the legwork.

The number one option for donors who value freedom, flexibility, and who plan to give to multiple organizations and programs throughout the year, a Donor Advised Fund offers a hands-on approach to philanthropy.

When donors open charitable funds at the Foundation, they become partners in our community leadership initiatives — including GivingEdge and Big Day of Giving! We could go on about our fundholders and the benefits of charitable funds, but we'll save it for the Foundation website. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help facilitate your philanthropic giving, please browse our menu of charitable funds.

Our Team

We aren't shy about it: There's a great group of people behind this effort, including the Board of Directors and staff of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. 

Foundation Board of Directors

  • Kathy McKim, Hawksbill Group, Chair
  • Garry Maisel, Western Health Advantage, Vice-Chair
  • Jonathan Lederer, U.S. Bank, Treasurer
  • Cassandra Walker Pye, Lucas Public Affairs, Secretary
  • Kwame Anku, Black Star Fund
  • Angela DePaoli, Bargas Environmental Consulting
  • Gordon Fowler, 3fold Communications
  • Bret Hewitt, Yolo Community Foundation
  • Matthew Jacobs, CalPERS
  • Vince Sales, Everyday Impact Consulting
  • Renee Nunes Taylor, Community Leader
  • Kate Stille, Nugget Markets, Inc.
  • Scott Syphax, Syphax Strategic Solutions
  • Steven Weiss, The Weiss Group
  • Kate Willcox, Boutin Jones, Inc.

Foundation Staff

  • Kerry Wood, Chief Executive Officer
  • Niva Flor, Chief Impact & Strategy Officer
  • Kelly Siefkin, Chief Philanthropy Officer
  • Naomi Wilson, Interim Chief Financial Officer
  • Tina Bryce, Director of Grants & Scholarships 
  • Vasey Coman, Director of Communications
  • Alondra Correa, Program Assistant
  • Chelsea Fahr, Senior Director of Philanthropy
  • Cynthia Gudeman, Senior Accountant
  • Monica Haulman, Senior Program Manager
  • Maria Patrick, Senior Accountant
  • Brigid Powers, Philanthropy Coordinator
  • Jasmine Ripoyla, Communications Coordinator
  • Anthony Taula-Lieras, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships
  • Regina Van Zant, Office Coordinator

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Contact Us

Connect with our team.

Have questions about GivingEdge, Big Day of Giving, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, opening a charitable fund to support your philanthropic giving, or another piece of our work? Please connect with our team, who are always happy to assist.

How can we help?