As the Chair of Irvine’s Board of Directors, it is my great privilege to welcome two outstanding new board members for 2017: Goodwin Liu, an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, and Ms. Sara Recktenwald, former regional head of the Securities Division for Goldman Sachs.

Ms. Recktenwald and Justice Liu have a tremendous passion for Irvine’s work. They bring a wealth of wisdom and experience to Irvine’s mission: expanding economic and political opportunity for working Californians who are struggling with poverty. Their insight will help Irvine be as effective as possible.

Justice Liu has had a life-long commitment to volunteerism and service. Before beginning his legal career, he went to Washington, D.C., and helped launch the AmeriCorps national service program. He also worked as a Senior Program Officer at the Corporation for National Service.

He previously served on the Public Welfare Foundation board, which supports efforts to advance racial equity, economic wellbeing, and more. He’s a world-class legal mind and former Associate Dean at UC Berkeley, where he taught classes on a range of issues, including education policy and civil rights.

When Ms. Recktenwald moved to the Bay Area in 2009, she immersed herself in community work. She’s a member of the Leadership Council for Tipping Point, whose values and direction are closely aligned with those of Irvine. Tipping Point is renowned for its commitment to ending poverty with evidence-based approaches and dedication to its grantees. What she’s learned there will help Irvine tremendously.

She also serves on the boards of The Katherine Delmar Burke School and The First Tee of San Francisco, which brings an affordable golf program to youth and communities that do not have them.

Ms. Recktenwald joins Irvine at a critical time; we have a new Chief Investment Officer with whom she’ll partner on the board’s Investment Committee. Her experience, particularly in the context of the Great Recession, will add expertise to Irvine’s board in relation to finance and the public equities market. This expertise will be invaluable for allocation of Irvine’s endowment and the positioning of investments to support the important work of our grantees.

On behalf of Irvine’s board, I’m thrilled to welcome Ms. Recktenwald and Justice Liu, and I look forward to their contributions and leadership.

You can read more about Justice Liu and Ms. Recktenwald here.