Join us for a Special Extended Lunchtime Program that features a powerhouse lineup of philanthropic leaders in the Pacific Northwest as they discuss diversity, equity and inclusion in the philanthropic sector and how their vision makes a larger impact in the community
Monday, November 9th, Noon - 1:30pm
Online via Zoom
WPGC is offering a $10 discount on membership for any non-members that want to register for this event and also become members at this time.
If there are specific things you’d like us to discuss in the panel, please email us your questions to office@wpgc.org. We know you will find this inspirational and can take actionable ideas back to your office and teams, virtual or not!
Guest Panelists:
Kathy Surace-Smith
Senior VP, Human Resources & Legal Affairs
NanoString Technologies, Inc.
Kathy Surace-Smith has over thirty years of experience working in high-growth private and public companies, including 19 years in the life sciences industry. Kathy is currently the Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Legal Affairs of NanoString Technologies, Inc. in Seattle, Washington, a NASDAQ-listed company which develops, manufactures and sells life sciences research tools and molecular diagnostics.
Kathy is the Board Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center in Seattle, a member of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University in New York and a member of the board of directors (and former Board Chair and Campaign Co-Chair) of the United Way of King County in Seattle. Kathy was honored by the Puget Sound Business Journal as a 2018 Woman of Influence.
Kathy received her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and her law degree from Columbia University School of Law.
Maria Chavez-Wilcox
Chief Executive Officer
YWCA Seattle I King I Snohomish
Maria Chavez-Wilcox was named CEO of YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish in September 2016. As CEO, Chavez-Wilcox oversees all operations at the second largest YWCA association in the United States, which serves over 11,000 people in the region each year.
She has over thirty years of experience as a nonprofit executive, social services advocate, community leader, and philanthropist. Previously, she was President and CEO at Childhaven, and spent 15 years as President and CEO of United Way of Orange County.
She currently serves on the YWCA USA Board, the YWCA Regional Membership as Chair, and the Downtown Seattle Association, and has been a member of the International Women’s Forum, NAFE, Seattle Rotary, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Women’s Funding Alliance as Secretary, and Chair of Seattle University's Nonprofit School of Management.
Maria graduated from Boston University with her Master's degree in Administration and Bachelor of Science in Education, with an additional certificate from the Nonprofit Management Institute at Harvard University.
Bo Lee
Senior Director - Team Leader
BNY Mellon
For over 20 years, Bo has been part of and leading organizations that fuel collective resources to make larger and impactful investments in the community. Bo has been a member of the Washington Women’s Foundation since 2010 and she has been serving on the Board of Trustee for over four years. In 2020, Bo co-chaired the national conference hosted by Philanos, the network of women’s collective giving organizations, to amplify the national growth and significance of collective giving centered around the critical need for philanthropy to focus on equity and inclusion.
Professionally, Bo Lee is a trusted advisor to private clients and foundations in navigating complex financial matters and guiding clients to make effective wealth decisions at BNY Mellon. As an advisor, she focuses on guiding her client’s to drive their personal values and mission to align with their investment strategies. Bo is also the team leader in the Pacific Northwest region and she provides direct leadership for the region’s wealth management business. Bo lives on the Eastside with her family and she enjoys cooking, travel and the arts.
Jodi Green
Chair of Governance Committee
Washington Women's Foundation
Jodi Green joined the Washington Women’s Foundation in 2008 and chairs the Governance Committee. She is Chairwoman Emerita of the University of Washington Foundation Board and just completed co-chairing the UW’s “Be Boundless” campaign, raising more than $6.3 billion. She also serves on the Board of the Seattle Parks Foundation. The first in her family to attend college, Jodi earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Brown University. As a software developer at Microsoft, she led the Development team for Microsoft Word and was later instrumental in creating the first version of Microsoft Outlook.
Aru Chandorkar
Pooled Grant Fund Chair
Washington Women's Foundation
Aru Chandorkar joined Washington Women’s Foundation (WaWF) in 2011. At WaWF, Aru has served as the chair of the Impact Assessment committee and is the current chair of the Pooled Fund Grant Committee. This fall, WaWF starts its third year of grantmaking focused on reducing disparities and increasing equity among those experiencing discrimination on the basis of race and gender. Aru is a strong advocate for effective collaboration and ensuring all diverse voices and opinions are heard.
Aru has been a passionate and dedicated community volunteer for the past 25 years. In 2002, Aru was the founding member of Cultural Committee of Gurukul - a WA based nonprofit educational initiative to be promote languages and culture of India. She volunteered with Healthy Start, a parenting education and support program for young families in need. She was an active volunteer at her children’s schools, serving as PTA President and Board member.
Aru grew up in India and graduated with a Master’s in Mathematical Statistics from Delhi University. She moved to the United States in 1988 and raised a family in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She has a deep interest in understanding history, enjoys theatre, loves steaming cups of ginger chai and spending time with her husband and children.
Moderators
Janell Johnson
Associate Development Director for Endowment & Planned Giving
Village Theater
Janell Johnson is the Associate Development Director for Endowment & Planned Giving at Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington, the largest fully producing musical theatre company in the region, and Philanthropic Advisor for Phila Giving, a values-driven philanthropic advisory firm that works exclusively with individuals to align their values with their charitable goals located in Seattle, Washington.
Janell has had a richly fulfilling career in philanthropy now approaching fifteen years. She has experience in grantmaking, program development, community-based foundations, board service, social enterprise development, social justice advocacy, and grassroots civic empowerment. She was the Western Regional Director for the Arizona Community Foundation headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona prior to moving back home in 2015 to accept a position with Seattle Opera as the Associate Development Director for Planned Giving.
As a Certified Specialist in Planned Giving (CSPG) experienced in the financial and legal aspects of gift planning, Janell stewards her expertise towards causes that seek to achieve justice and a greater sense of harmony in the world. She opens doors between philanthropists and the causes they care about to bring forth meaningful change and believes that charitable giving is food for the soul; it’s not about the size of the gift but the size of the giver's heart and their desire to make a difference in the lives of others that matters.
Janell is Vice President of Inspire Washington, a statewide cultural advocacy coalition, and President of the Washington Planned Giving Council, which serves to unite nonprofit professionals and legal and financial advisors to increase transformational philanthropy in the Pacific Northwest.
Jim Carney
Vice President | Financial Advisor
Jim co-founded The Aistear Group at Morgan Stanley and serves as our team’s chief wealth management strategist. A Certified Financial Planner, he synthesizes the diverse elements of our clients’ financial plans and helps make certain that the strategies we recommend work in concert toward their ultimate objectives.
Through his more than 30-year financial services career, Jim has helped household name technology firms structure complex financings and wealthy families manage their portfolios and plan their estates. He joined Morgan Stanley in 2012 after tenures at such firms as KeyCorp and Bernstein Global Wealth Management.
A Morgan Stanley Family Wealth Advisor with the credentials to provide high net worth clients with the guidance they need to help meet the challenges that invariably accompany wealth, Jim graduated from The University of Washington with a BA in Finance and Marketing. Later, he earned a Financial Planning Certificate from The University’s Foster School of Business and an
MBA from Seattle University. Outside the office, he is a self-professed serial volunteer who has served on a number of non-profit boards, including the YMCA and Northwest Family Business Advisors. He recently completed a term as chair of the Seattle’s Children’s Hospital Legacy Advisory Council and currently sits on the boards of Washington Planned Giving Council and Leave 10™.
Securities Agent: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, MA, MI, MT, NC, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, TX, UT, VA, WA, ID; Investment Advisor Representative; General Securities Representative; Managed Futures NMLS#: 1262231
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.
CRC 3293275 10/2020
Frank Minton Professional Achievement Award
2020 Recipient
Melissa Laird
The Washington Planned Giving Council is pleased to announce that Melissa Laird, Philanthropy Officer at KUOW Public Radio, is being recognized with the 2020 Frank Minton Professional Achievement Award. For nearly a quarter century Melissa has helped establish and grow planned giving in the Puget Sound applying her creativity and passion for the greater good serving KCTS/9 Seattle’s public broadcasting station, The Nature Conservancy and today at Seattle’s premiere NPR station KUOW. Join us on November 9 at the 2020 Washington Planned Giving Council’s virtual Planned Giving Day where we will honor her contributions to the planned giving field.
