boardstaff


	Thrive Board of Directors and Staff

		Diana Conti, Executive Director, Parca Board Chair & Advocacy Committee Member dianac@parca.org A native of the Bay Area, Diana has more than 25 years experience as executive director of several non-profits throughout the region providing assistance related to low-income, homeless and immigrant populations, alcohol and drug treatment and prevention, criminal justice reform and mental health counseling. In her current role as executive director of Parca, she coordinates San Mateo County program providing services to developmentally disabled individuals and their families. Previously she worked as President of the Board of the Marin Council of Agencies.


		Jay Miller, Executive Director, Peninsula Clergy Network Board Member jaymiller@blueconnect.org Rabbi Miller served as a rabbi for university campuses and in congregational positions for more than 20 years. Since 1995, he has worked on a variety of community projects and served as interim executive director for organizations in the faith community and in social service agencies. In 2000, he was named to the President's Honor Roll of the California Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (CAPSAC) for his work in creating bridges between the religious community and professional in social service, law enforcement, education, and medicine. He has been Executive Director of the Peninsula Clergy Network (PCN) since 2002. PCN is an interactive network of clergy leaders in San Mateo and Northern Santa Clara Counties that builds knowledge, understanding, and working relationships. PCN promotes increased interaction between religious and civic leaders on behalf of the communities they jointly serve.


		Joni Podolsky, Director of Community Programs, Bay Area Entrepreneurs Foundation Board Vice Chair & Advocacy Committee Member jpodolsky@efbayarea.org Joni Podolsky, a native of the Bay Area, is Director of Community Programs at the Bay Area Entrepreneurs Foundation. There she works with high-growth, entrepreneurial, corporations to help them develop and implement their community involvement programs. In addition, she is an author, consultant, and trainer who specializes in helping nonprofits strategically implement technology. Prior to this, Joni was the founding program director of Wired for Good, a program of the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits. There, she leveraged the community expertise and resources necessary to help nonprofits develop and implement strategic technology plans. Joni is author of Wired for Good: Strategic Technology Planning for Nonprofits, published by Jossey-Bass in 2003, and the Smart Valley Guidebook, District Administrator's Guide to Planning for Technology. Joni currently lives in Redwood City and is proud to be a big sister to Lisa through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.


		Susan Takalo, Director of Programs & Services, Second Harvest Food Bank Board Member and Emergency Services Task Force Co-Chair Susan Takalo has worked in social services with disadvantaged communities for more than 25 years. Since 1984, she has served in a variety of capacities with Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. In addition to her work with Thrive's Oversight Committee and Emergency Services Task Force, Susan serves on a range of other community-based committees whose directive is to improve service delivery to targeted low-income communities, including the San Mateo County Strategic Plan Implementation and Coordination Committee, New Beginnings Coalition, Daly City ACCESS, and Daly City Peninsula Partnership.


		Sheryl Young, Executive Director, Community Gatepath Board Member sheryl@gatepath.com Sheryl has 25 years of managerial experience in operations, finance, and marketing. She is known for her ability to build innovative and sustainable non-profit programs, and is a leader in the field of managing boards of directors, social entrepreneurship, and melding for-profit and non-profit management styles to fuel nonprofit organization effectiveness. As Chief Executive Officer of Community Gatepath (Gatepath), Sheryl Young oversees one of the largest and oldest nonprofit organizations in San Mateo County. Gatepath annually serves 3,200 children, adults, seniors, their families, and the professionals that support them, through direct programs, support services, education, and information.


		Porcia Chen Silverberg, Executive Director, Thrive Phone: (650) 766-1162 porcia@thrivealliance.org Porcia brings over twenty years of experience in public relations, marketing, sales and social entrepreneurship. A collaborations advocate at heart, in 2001 Porcia founded the National Center for Community Collaboration (NCCC) based in Denver, while she was in charge of community relations for the Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Network. NCCC is dedicated to inspire community-based partnerships across public, private and nonprofit organizations through exchange of knowledge and resources. Porcia is a recent graduate of the San Mateo County Citizens Academy. She is currently a member of the California Association of Nonprofits (CAN) Statewide Nonprofit Regional Partnership and the Policy Council. She also serves on the Peninsula Partnership Leadership Council. Porcia believes nonprofits play a critical role in the world we live in today. Through her role at Thrive, she is committed to strengthening cross-sector collaboration and promoting the values of the social sector to the San Mateo community.


		Dena Gunning, Emergency Services Specialist, Thrive Phone: (650) 339-0721 dena@thrivealliance.org A California Native, Dena Has has lived in San Mateo County for over thirty-five years. She has over twenty-five years of experience with emergency services, starting with full scale County Disaster drills since the age of twelve. Her professional accomplishments include: Grants Project Manager, San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security, Emergency Planning Coordinator, Oakland Fire Department Office of Emergency Services and Executive Director of Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters, CARD of San Mateo County. Most recently Dena has joined Thrive as the Emergency Services Coordinator. Dena has her emergency management certificate from the State of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services California Specialized Training Institute, and FEMA. Dena’s community service efforts include: Chair, San Bruno Community Preparedness Committee; Amateur Radio Operator; Secretary, CARD Board of Directors; Volunteer Coordinator San Mateo/SFO Countywide Exercise and Neighborhood Watch Block Captain. Dena is dedicated to building and strengthening the capacity of the local nonprofits enabling them to continue serving the most vulnerable populations pre and post disaster.


		Jeanne Bertolina, Administrative Assistant, Thrive jeanne@thrivealliance.org Just prior to joining the Thrive staff, Jeanne worked in the Marketing Department of Office Depot for over 14 years. She has a degree in English and an Associate Degree in Commercial Art. Jeanne has been involved in publications and communications her entire career, working first as a technical editor, then as a paste-up artist, desktop publisher and marketing assistant. Most recently, she has studied Photoshop and Dreamweaver, and has moved into the area of web design.