September 1, 2004

The James Irvine Foundation
Announces New Staff Appointments

San Francisco—The James Irvine Foundation today announced six new staff members and the appointment of an Acting Program Director for the Arts.

Jeff Kumataka was appointed Director of Finance in August 2004. Kumataka comes to Irvine with more than two decades of financial management experience, having most recently served as controller at The Omidyar Foundation/Omidyar Network, where he implemented new accounting and grants management systems. Prior to working with Omidyar, Kumataka served as Financial Controller at Telstra Inc.; Corporate Controller at Planet U Inc. and Heald Colleges; and Comptroller and Director of Finance and IT at the University of Maryland Asian Division - Tokyo, Japan. Kumataka holds a Master of Management degree from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, a B.S. in Finance from University of Illinois, and is a California Certified Public Accountant.

Anne A. Matlock was appointed Investment Analyst in August 2004. Under supervision of the Chief Investment Officer, Matlock is responsible for the review, analysis, and preliminary evaluation of the Foundation's investment managers and new investment opportunities. Prior to joining the Foundation, Matlock worked with Barclays Global Investors as member of the Active Equities Investment Group. She also held equity research and statistical analysis positions with Thomas Weisel Partners, Banc of America Securities, and Salomon Smith Barney. Matlock has an A.B. in Economics from Princeton University and a Certificate in French Civilization from La Sorbonne.

John Orders, who served the Foundation as Program Director in the Arts from 1989 to 1996, was appointed Acting Program Director for the Arts in August 2004. Since Orders' departure from Irvine eight years ago, he has held a variety of consulting assignments to foundations and arts institutions. Prior to first joining the Foundation in 1989, Orders worked closely with the President of the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) on a variety of projects and institutional leadership issues and also served as Associate Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. He is a graduate of Amherst College, with an M.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard University. Orders will be working from the Foundation's Los Angeles office. He is temporarily replacing Elisa Callow, Irvine's Program Director in the Arts, who is on medical leave and is expected to return to Irvine in early 2005.

Mark Pothier was appointed Communications Manager in July 2004. Prior to joining the Foundation, Pothier produced a wide variety of online and print communications as content manager and communications specialist with the Judicial Council of California/Administrative Office of the Courts, as Public Information Officer at the California Council for the Humanities, and as staff writer/web producer in the Office of Publications at San Francisco State University. A graduate of St. John's College in Annapolis, he holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

Jorge Ruiz de Velasco has been appointed Senior Program Officer for Youth, effective September 13, 2004. Prior to joining Irvine, Ruiz de Velasco served as Education Program Officer at The Hewlett Foundation, as Senior Research Associate at The Urban Institute, and as a lawyer and policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. Ruiz de Velasco holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and an M.A. in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University, a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, and an A.B. in Government from Harvard University.

Jeanne Sakamoto was appointed Program Associate for the Arts in August 2004. Prior to joining the Foundation, Sakamoto served the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles in several capacities, first as a J. Paul Getty Grant Multicultural Intern and most recently as Director of Special Initiatives. Sakamoto holds a B.A. in Communications Studies with a Specialization in Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Kenji Treanor was appointed Program Associate for Youth in August 2004. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Treanor was an Administrative Coordinator at San Francisco State University's Office of Advancement and worked as a consultant to the San Rafael City School District, promoting alternative language curriculum for middle and high school students. Treanor also served several years as Program Coordinator at the Youth Leadership Institute, a Bay Area-based nonprofit that trains youth to become leaders of community-based projects. Treanor holds a B.A. in American Studies with an emphasis in Ethnic Studies and Socio-Political Analysis from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation, with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Foundation was established in 1937 by James Irvine, a native Californian who devoted most of his life to business interests in San Francisco and the development of his 110,000-acre ranch in Southern California, which was among the largest privately owned land holdings in the state. Since 1937, the Foundation has provided approximately $800 million in grants to nonprofit organizations throughout California. With current assets of $1.4 billion, the Foundation expects to make grants of $56 million in 2004 for the people of California.