FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 18, 2025

Contact: 
Luisa Montes,
Senior Communications Officer
415-356-9940
lmontes@irvine.org

December 18, 2025 — The James Irvine Foundation announced the appointment of two new members of its Board of Directors, who will begin their terms in January 2026. Susan Masten, a member of the Yurok Tribe of Northern California, is the President and CEO of Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations. Vivian Velasco Paz, of Clovis, is the Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Paz Dermatology, a family-owned practice with offices in Fresno and Visalia.  

“We are grateful and excited to welcome Susan and Vivian to the board,” said Maria Anguiano, Chair of the Irvine Foundation Board of Directors. “They bring immensely valuable professional and lived experience related to the Irvine Foundation’s mission, and we cannot wait to benefit firsthand from their insights.”

About Susan Masten 

Masten is a lifelong political activist and an advocate for tribal and women’s rights. She was the second female President of the National Congress of American Indians, served in top leadership roles for the Yurok Tribe, and in 2004 founded and became co-president of the Women Empowering Women for Indian Nations.  

In 2022, Masten was appointed as the Del Norte County Fifth District Supervisor by Governor Newsom and was appointed to the Advisory Board of SLOTCO and as Tribal Advisor to Bluestone Strategy Partners, both Indian-owned businesses.  

She previously served as Interim Executive Director of Native American Finance Officers Association and has held top leadership positions at Union Bank of California (in the Native American Market Division), the Del Norte Democratic Central Committee, North Coast Small Business Development Center, of Klamath Chamber of Commerce.  

Masten has been a business owner, operating Steelhead Lodge – a restaurant, bar, motel, and RV park in Klamath, California – and is active in her traditional Yurok tribal practices. 

About Vivian Velasco Paz 

Paz lives in Fresno County. Fresno is one of the six cities at the center of Irvine Foundation’s Priority Communities initiative (along with Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino, Salinas, and Stockton). The initiative is focused on communities critical to California’s future given their growth, diversity, and role in the state’s economy.  

Paz’s experience growing up in rural California prompted her interest in social justice and rural economic development. She worked on economic development programs as a Rural Policy Fellow for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, before going to law school. She has since served as Assistant General Counsel with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, where she protected farmworkers’ rights to unionize and complain about working conditions, and was an Assistant Attorney General for the state of Illinois, prosecuting fraud cases related to mortgage rescue and immigrant services.  

In 2013, Paz returned to the Central Valley to start a business with her husband. Paz Dermatology has grown to more than 40 employees and two offices, providing upward mobility for a diverse workforce. She is also the co-chair of the Central Valley Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.  

“Susan and Vivian embody the spirit of leadership. Their deep connection to their communities and lifelong commitment to improving the lives of Californians will undoubtedly help advance Irvine’s mission. We are honored to have their voices and contributions as part of our board,” said Don Howard, President and CEO of the Irvine Foundation.

Both Masten and Paz will serve a four-year term, with the opportunity for up to two additional terms. The Irvine Foundation is governed by an independent Board of Directors, which is responsible for ensuring that the Foundation manages its finances, operations, and grantmaking programs to advance its mission and goals.