Leadership

Team

• 

  Laura Deaton

  Executive Director

  Laura Deaton

  Executive Director

  mentor | gardener | animal lover

  Laura nurtures fertile ground.  Whether working in her home garden or mentoring our teams, she’s always sowing seeds and cultivating success. Driven by a passion for helping people, the planet, and the nonprofit sector thrive, she leverages her legal background, teaching experience and three decades of nonprofit leadership to work together with teams to build capacity and generate measurable impact. Laura is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council, and has been honored with a Social Impact Award from the Harvard Business School Association of Northern California.

  Outside of work, Laura spends free time in the Bay Area with family and her recently rescued super-mutts Griffin and Karma, and can often be found snapping wildlife pics, or engaged in a lively game of multi-lingual scrabble.

  Education:

  • B.A. in Psychology from Boston University College of Arts and Sciences
  • J.D. from Duke University School of Law
  • Certificate in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management from Harvard Business School

  Link to Laura's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/laura-deaton/
• 

  Kristin Fischer

  Human Resources Director

  Kristin Fischer

  Human Resources Director

  lifter | friend | rock concert mama
  

  
  Kristin cares about people, and it’s evident in every part of her work. Beginning at recruitment and through their tenure at Multiplier, our teams benefit directly from Kristin’s empowerment-based approach to helping each employee thrive. Kristin has worked in the human resources and leadership field for more than thirteen years, including within the legal sector and the technology sector. 
  
  Outside of work, Kristin, who is also a trained chef and a certified kettle bell instructor, can be found whipping up some spicy seasonal fare, listening to her favorite podcasts while exercising with her dog Maeve, and hanging out with friends and family – especially at rock concerts. In addition to English, Kristin is fluent in French.
  
  
  
  Education:

  • B.A. in History from Kenyon College
  • Grande Diploma in Culinary Arts at Ecole Ritz Escoffier

  Link to Kristin's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/kristin-fischer/
• 

  Brandon Henderson

  Technology Administrator and Office Manager

  Brandon Henderson

  Technology Administrator and Office Manager

  Support Beacon | Tech Problem Solver | Knowledge Seeker

  Brandon has always maintained a support focused role in one form or another throughout his working career and finds his role with Multiplier to be the perfect harmony of his love of technology and supporting a hardworking and project focused team. Brandon’s sharp mind, problem solving skills, and relentless effort to keep projects supported throughout the transitions in Multiplier’s process are some of his best tools for getting the job done.

  Outside of work Brandon has a fairly active social life, often spending time with friends outdoors, traveling with them, and cooking as a group. He also has a passion for music, is an avid music festival goer and has been a self-taught DJ for the past 5 years.

  Education:

  • B.A. in Computer and Simulation Programming from Devry University

  Link to Brandon's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/3032/
• 

  Ben Jones

  Director of Strategic Partnerships

  Ben Jones

  Director of Strategic Partnerships

  connector/doer/vinyl record collector

  Ben believes that what you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do. In just over a decade in the nonprofit sector, he has seen teams with bold ideas and the willingness to work hard create life-changing impact.  With a background in collaborating with diverse stakeholders and positioning cutting-edge social impact projects for success, Ben is driven by connecting teams to the people and resources that can help them achieve their goals.  Ben joined the organization in June, 2019 in this newly created role designed to accelerate impact for Multiplier and the projects that operate under our umbrella.

  Outside of work, you’ll find Ben spending time with his family and nurturing his young son’s curiosity on every topic imaginable.  As a new resident of the Bay Area, Ben and his family are eagerly exploring all of the Bay Area’s outdoor wonders, rich cultural institutions and outstanding restaurants.  When Ben gets a few hours on his own you’ll likely find him digging through dusty stacks of records to add to his vinyl collection.

  Education

  • B.A. in English Literature and Communications from Indiana University

   

  Link to Ben's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/ben-jones/
• 

  Jessica Le

  Senior Manager of Financial Operations

  Jessica Le

  Senior Manager of Financial Operations

  optimizer | early adopter | almost empty nester
  
  

  Jessica makes everything add up. Both perpetually curious and a consummate problem-solver, Jessica’s constantly finding ways to improve our entire organization. As a technology early adopter, she’s always looking to the future and keeping us ahead of the curve as she streamlines financial and operational systems to increase our effectiveness, better serve our projects, improve donor experiences, and conserve expenses.
  
  Outside of work, Jessica spends time with family and friends near her remote office in Pflugerville, Texas, exploring new locales with her son before he ships off to U.S. Marines basic training in summer 2019, or leveraging a plethora of online resources in her quest for lifelong learning. In addition to English, Jessica is fluent in Vietnamese.
  
  
  
  Education:

  • B.S. in Accounting from Golden Gate University
  • M.S. in Accounting from Golden Gate University

  Link to Jessica's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/jessica-le/
• 

  Alice Ng

  Senior Advisor, Fundraising

  Alice Ng

  Senior Advisor, Fundraising

  maximizer | adventurer | ally
  
  

  Alice seeks adventure and believes that every mountain can be climbed if taken step-by-step with the right training and proper gear. That same commitment to systematic planning serves her well when advising our teams. Alice’s diverse fundraising experience – from grassroots donations to grants and corporate sponsorships—gives her a robust toolkit that can help teams maximize support for their programs.
  
  
  Outside of work, Alice can be found snow-camping in the Sierras alongside Sadie, her faithful canine companion, serving as a trained search and rescue volunteer, or exploring a new country (she’s been to 31 on six continents). In addition to English, Alice is fluent in Cantonese, and speaks conversational Spanish.
  
  
  
  Education:

  • B.S. in Management Information Systems from State University of New York at Buffalo
  • Certified Wilderness First Responder

  Link to Alice's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/alice-ng/
• 

  Carolyn Schour

  Finance Director

  Carolyn Schour

  Finance Director

  numbers whiz | avid walker | social justice advocate
  
  

  Carolyn walks the talk, literally and figuratively.  Drawing on three decades of non-profit accounting experience, she keeps the financials of Multiplier’s diverse project portfolio in tip-top shape. She leads a team that manages incoming and outgoing funds, ensures our federal and state law compliance and keeps our best-in-class financial system humming.
  
  

  Outside of work, Carolyn can be found leading local hikes, volunteering alongside others devoted to immigrant and refugee rights, and sharing adorable pictures of her newly-minted twin grandsons.
  
  

  Education:

  • B.A. in Psychology from Pitzer College
  • Teaching credential from Cal State East Bay
  • Certificate in Accounting from Golden Gate University

  Link to Carolyn's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/carolyn-schour/
• 

  Darlene Sevilla

  Contracts, Grants, and Compliance Senior Manager

  Darlene Sevilla

  Contracts, Grants, and Compliance Senior Manager

  navigator | modulator | dance partner

  Darlene believes that no one succeeds alone. She has committed her professional life to fighting for social justice and equitable development in various capacities for over a decade. At Multiplier, she lends her legal skills to promoting fair partnerships in contracting, supporting grants management, and monitoring components of organizational compliance.

  Outside of work, Darlene can be found volunteering, biking around town, or working on a home project. She is also known to cook up a storm and throw living room dance parties with her family. In addition to English, Darlene is proficient in Tagalog (a dialect of the Philippines).

  Education:

  • B.A. in Electronic Communications from San Francisco State University
  • Certificate in International Video Journalism from Danmarks Medie- og Journalisthøjskole (Danish School of Media and Journalism)
  • J.D. from City University of New York School of Law

  Link to Darlene's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/darlene-sevilla/
• 

  Tenzin Sherpa

  Accounting Manager

  Tenzin Sherpa

  Accounting Manager

  expediter | steward | proud papa
  
  

  Tenzin embodies quality. Involved in accounting since studying in India many years ago, Tenzin brings a wealth of international bookkeeping experience, and a laser-like focus on detail that ensures the day-to-day aspects of stewarding philanthropic funds are well-tended. In addition to accounting, Tenzin’s former work has focused on helping immigrant social entrepreneurs from Himalayan regions of Nepal, Bhutan and India start new businesses.
  
  

  Outside of work, Tenzin is busy being a new dad, and tries to sneak in movies and some golfing with friends when weather permits. In addition to English, Tenzin is fluent in Tibetan and Nepali.
  
  
  
  Education:

  •  B.A. in International Business and Management from Dickinson College

  Link to Tenzin's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/tenzin-sherpa/
• 

  Kvetka Smith

  Grants and Contracts Director

  Kvetka Smith

  Grants and Contracts Director

  connector | diplomat | snow seeker
  
  

  Kvetka sees the forest and the trees. She combines her tactical and strategic lenses with diplomacy to assure our project teams and donors that their funds are in safe hands. Before she joined our team, she spent more than a decade serving as a finance officer for the Geneva-based World Health Organization.
  
  
  
  Outside of work, Kvetka can be found spending time with local family, exploring the Bay Area and heading to the Sierras for much-needed forest and snow-bathing. She also routinely bridges time zones to stay connected via video with her family and friends from Slovakia. In addition to English, Kvetka speaks fluent Slovak, French, and Czech.
  
  
  
  Education

  • M.S. in Finance from Slovak Agricultural University
  • M.S. in Business Management from the University of Geneva

  Link to Kvetka's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/kvetka-smith/
• 

  Ara Trinidad

  Benefits Manager and HR Generalist

  Ara Trinidad

  Benefits Manager and HR Generalist

  Foody | People Connector |Happy Mama

   

  Ara loves working with people and making sure they have everything they need to perform their best. Ara found her way to Multiplier knowing she will be able to positively influence and change the lives of people by facilitating and supporting their work. She thrives when juggling many balls in the air.

  Outside of work, you will find Ara spending time with her extended family and trying out different cuisines at restaurants all around the East Bay, Peninsula and South Bay. She is a busy new mom and avid food lover. In addition to English, Ara is fluent in Tagalog.

  Education:

  • B.S. in Human Resources Management and Organizational Behavior from Cal State East Bay (Dec 2020)

  Link to Ara's bio: https://multiplier.org/team/ara-trinidad/

Board

• John David Claussen

  Board Chair

  John David Claussen

  Board Chair Program Officer, Conservation & Science, David and Lucile Packard Foundation

  John Claussen is the Indonesia Marine and Western Pacific program officer at the Packard Foundation. Before joining Packard in 2012 he was a Partner in the Jakarta office of Mazars, a global partnership, and co-founded and served as Managing Partner at Starling Resources, where he advised and designed environmental and economic development strategies with business, government, and non-profit clients throughout North America and Asia. A resident of Indonesia from 2004 to 2012, he has particularly deep experience in Southeast Asia. Before moving to Asia, he was a senior associate at California Environmental Associates and worked for a number of high-tech manufacturing companies in the Silicon Valley and Massachusetts. He also co-founded the non-profit Conservation and Community Investment Forum. John holds a BS in biology from Valparaiso University, Indiana.

  Link to John David's bio: https://multiplier.org/board/john-david-claussen/

• Ryan Cabinte

  Board Treasurer

  Ryan Cabinte

  Board Treasurer Faculty, Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon

  Ryan Cabinte is an instructor and program manager in the Center for Sustainable Business Practices at Lundquist. Prior to Lundquist, he served as core faculty and dean at Presidio Graduate School. Ryan also serves as a strategic consultant and legal advisor to numerous social entrepreneurs and sustainability ventures. Ryan is a graduate of Yale University, Boston University School of Law, and Presidio Graduate School.

  Link to Ryan's bio: https://multiplier.org/board/ryan-cabinte/

• Melissa Beard Clack

  Board Secretary and Co-Chair, Board Development and Nominating Committee

  Melissa Beard Clack

  Board Secretary and Co-Chair, Board Development and Nominating Committee Principal, CEA Consulting

  Melissa brings more than 15 years of consulting and recruitment experience in conservation, marine, climate change, and philanthropic sectors to Multiplier. In her current work, Melissa leads a team focused on executive search and transition planning, staff recruitment, and talent acquisition partnerships. Prior to rejoining CEA in June 2008, Melissa ran her own recruitment business. Earlier in her career, she spent ten years at CEA in a range of positions, including Senior Associate and Business and Financial Manager. As a Senior Associate, she helped clients develop, promote, and negotiate regulatory implementation and air emission compliance strategies. Formerly, she was the President of the Marin Council of California Cooperative Nursery Schools, and assisted the Chief Financial Officer of the International 1990 Earth Day event. She also ran the financial and human resource operations of California Environmental Associates. Melissa has served as Multiplier Board Member since 2002.

  Link to Melissa's bio: https://multiplier.org/board/melissa-beard-clack/

• Ashley Ahearn

  Co-Chair, Board Development and Nominating Committee

  Ashley Ahearn

  Co-Chair, Board Development and Nominating Committee Journalist

  Ashley Ahearn is an award-winning public media journalist who has covered science and the environment for NPR and member stations for more than a decade. Most recently, she created, hosted and produced terrestrial, a podcast on climate change, in partnership with the NPR Story Lab and KUOW in Seattle. Ashley’s stories have appeared on Marketplace, All Things Considered, Here and Now, The World and other NPR shows. She has a masters in science journalism from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California and has completed reporting fellowships at the Knight Center at MIT, the Vermont Law School, the Metcalf Institute at the University of Rhode Island and the Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources. In her spare time Ashley rides motorcycles and horses or plays outside with her husband and dog.

  Link to Ashley's bio: https://multiplier.org/board/ashley-ahearn/

• Bernd Cordes

  Chair, Audit and Risk Oversight Committee

  Bernd Cordes

  Chair, Audit and Risk Oversight Committee Program Officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

  Bernd Cordes is a Program Officer at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, helping to manage its Oceans and Seafood Markets Initiative. He has also worked as an independent consultant, as a Senior Research Program Manager (Oceans) for Vulcan, Inc. and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and for twelve years as a Program Officer at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, where he led the Western Pacific and Marine Birds Conservation programs. Prior to that, he lived and worked in Indonesia on enterprise-driven conservation projects in the forests and coastal waters of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Melanesia. Bernd holds an A.B. in diplomacy and world affairs from Occidental College, as well as a Master of Arts in Southeast Asian studies and Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan.

  Link to Bernd's bio: https://multiplier.org/board/bernd-cordes/

• Giulia Siccardo

  Board Member

  Giulia Siccardo

  Board Member Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company

  Giulia Siccardo is an Associate Partner in McKinsey & Company’s San Francisco office. She works primarily with energy companies, technology companies and utilities across Europe and North America on strategy, finance and operations topics. Within energy, her focus is on clean tech and strategy, with an emphasis on the development and deployment of renewable energy, storage solutions, and sustainable transport. Before McKinsey, she worked in corporate sustainability at Adobe. She first became involved with Multiplier in 2012 when she wrote a white paper on the role of fiscal sponsorship in the nonprofit ecosystem. She holds a BA in Economics and Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

  Link to Giulia's bio: https://multiplier.org/board/giulia-siccardo/

• Miriam Billinger

  Board Member

  Miriam Billinger

  Board Member Nonprofit Consultant

  Miriam brings 20 years of experience in nonprofit and foundation financial analysis and management to Multiplier’s board of directors. With a passion for bridging the strategic, programmatic and financial elements of project implementation, Miriam lights up when she talks about the intersection of mission and money in nonprofits. Miriam’s nonprofit and philanthropic consulting focuses on enabling organizations to effectively leverage financial tools and analysis to raise money, spend and track it effectively, and increase impact. Previous roles include serving as Program Finance Officer for the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, where she was responsible for the financial aspects of a $300M+ grant portfolio, and serving as Assistant Finance Director at Humboldt State University’s Northern California Small Business Development Center where she was also focused on grants and grant making. Earlier in her career, she served as a Senior Accountant at Deloitte & Touche. Miriam holds a B.A. in Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara, and is also trained in Facilitative Leadership. She lives in rural Northern California and is the proud mother of two awesome children who inspire her to work for a brighter future and a healthier planet.

   

  Link to Miriam 's bio: https://multiplier.org/board/miriam-billinger/

• Jonathan Brack

  Board Member

  Jonathan Brack

  Board Member Director, Collaborative Impact Program, Foundation for California Community Colleges

  Jonathan Brack is the Director of the Collaborative Impact Program at the Foundation for California Community Colleges, where he leads the Foundation’s efforts to incubate, scale and sustain creative endeavors to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all Californians. He is also responsible for evolving the Foundation’s partnerships into a cohesive program and leading strategic efforts to broaden and increase the Foundation’s impact. Prior to his current role, Jonathan was the Manager of Capacity Building for Tipping Point Community where he worked to bring talent management and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) resources to the nonprofit organizations that Tipping Point supports. While at Tipping Point, he also designed and implemented the Emerging Leaders Fellowship – a leadership development program for mid-managers of color. Earlier in his career, Jonathan was on the original team at Code2040 that broke ground to increase the number of Black and Latinx engineers in Silicon Valley and was the Founding Director of the Berkeley Scholars Program, where he designed and directed an academic mentoring program for college-bound African American and Latinx youth. Jonathan holds a B.A. in history from University of California, Berkeley. In addition to his service to Multiplier, Jonathan also serves as an Advisory Board Member for California Education Learning Lab and has volunteered with the Hidden Genius Project, BUILD and The Surge Institute.

  Link to Jonathan 's bio: https://multiplier.org/board/jonathan-brack/

• Phillip Gover

  Board Member

  Phillip Gover

  Board Member Founding Director, Sovereign Schools Project

  Phillip Gover is the Founding Director of the Sovereign Schools Project, which partners with education nonprofits and tribes to build Native-community centered public charter schools in urban and rural areas of Oklahoma. In his roles as Founding Director, Phil assists tribes with standing-up tribal charter school authorization offices, launching new public charter schools, and creating a long-term vision of a growing ecosystem of Native charter schools that affirm and celebrate indigenous history and culture. As part of his work, he founded and now serves as School Board President for Sovereign Community School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Prior to his founding role at Sovereign Schools, Phil was the Chief of Staff for the Oklahoma Region of Teach for America, where he was responsible for day-to-day management of the operations team, drafting the region’s medium and long terms strategic plans, establishing new relationships with tribal stakeholders through the region, and working to secure significant public funding for regional operations. Earlier in his career, served as the Associate Director of Admissions for Dartmouth College, as an admissions counselor at George Mason University, and a College Guide for College Advising Corps. Phil holds a B.A. in political and social thought and an MBA from University of Virginia.

  Link to Phillip 's bio: https://multiplier.org/board/phillip-gover/

Board Emeritus

• Harriet Barlow

  Harriet Barlow

• Gigi Coe

  Gigi Coe

• Jill Kauffman Johnson

  Jill Kauffman Johnson

• Alexis Krivkovich

  Alexis Krivkovich

• Leslie Leslie

  Leslie Leslie

• Andreas Merkl

  Andreas Merkl

• Joseph Piazza

  Joseph Piazza

• Elena Schmid

  Elena Schmid

• Rachel Wagner

  Rachel Wagner

• Brad Whitehead

  Brad Whitehead

• Sam Goldman

  Sam Goldman

  Donor Relations and Gift Officer, Burning Man

  Sam Goldman current is working in fundraising for Burning Man. Prior to this appointment, he was California Program Director for the Conservation Lands Foundation. Previously, Sam coordinated California wilderness campaigns for the Wilderness Society for four years. He worked to help pass the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which protected 2.2 million acres of wilderness across the country. Prior to working on wilderness designation campaigns, Sam worked as a consultant in Washington, D.C. where he directed field operations and online advocacy campaigns for national environmental groups. Sam also has extensive experience on electoral campaigns and with training volunteers, conservationists, and organizers. Sam is active in the Jewish community and serves on the board of Wilderness Torah and is a member of the Wexner Heritage Program. A graduate of Bates College and Green Corps, field school for environmental organizing, Sam is an avid backcountry skier, hiker, and loves exploring remote regions of California and the West.

• Heather King

  Heather King

  consultant

  Heather has more than 20 years of marketing and management experience with innovative technology companies and social enterprises. Most recently, she led global marketing for McKinsey’s Social Initiative and for several of McKinsey’s new technology ventures. Prior to McKinsey, she was Managing Director for Eight, Inc., a leading experience design firm that worked on Apple retail, Virgin Airlines, Tesla retail and more. Earlier in her career, Heather has been VP marketing at several tech start-ups and a Director of Marketing at Apple. In addition to her work in tech, Heather has deep media and non-profit experience. She was the producer of award winning international documentaries, such as Day in the Life of Africa, and the Reuters/GreenBiz blog on business sustainability, View from the C-Suite. She’s served on multiple non profit boards and advisory boards including a leading national land trust, AcumenSF, How Women Lead, G100, Presidio Graduate School, and Narrative.org. She has a BA and MBA from Dartmouth, and an Executive MBA from Presidio Graduate School.

• Robin Nakao

  Robin Nakao

  Robin Nakao has been involved with Multiplier since 2007 as Executive Director and joined the Board in 2013. With more than 25 years of financial management and leadership experience, Robin is the CFO at Code Advisors. Formerly the President of Robertson Stephens Asset Management, she has held executive management positions at several large investment and securities firms including Charles Schwab & Co, Robertson Stephens and ING. Robin has also served as a CFO and financial consultant to various environmental organizations. Robin began her career at Deloitte, an accounting & consulting firm. She earned an MBA from the Haas Graduate School of Business of the University California at Berkeley and a BS in Business Administration from University of Southern California.