We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Irene M. Wong as PACF’s inaugural CEO. Irene brings a wealth of experience in strategic grantmaking, community engagement, and organizational management to her new role. Her background uniquely positions her to lead PACF into its next phase of growth and deepened impact, and we are confident that her leadership will be instrumental in realizing our mission of advancing local philanthropy across Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and Menlo Park. Our formal announcement can be found here.

We would also like to take this opportunity to honor outgoing Executive Director Lisa Van Dusen. Under Lisa’s leadership, PACF experienced significant growth, expanding our grantmaking more than four-fold, growing our family of local donors, and increasing donations five-fold. During her tenure, PACF made significant strides in operationalizing Trust-Based Philanthropy, deepened our impact through our Annual, Impact, and Emergency grant channels, and forged stronger connections with our community as a whole. Lisa’s passion, dedication, and creativity have laid a strong foundation for PACF’s future, and we are immensely grateful for her contributions.

Lisa will remain with PACF as a strategic advisor over the summer to help ensure a seamless transition. The entire board and staff are excited to support Irene’s vision and initiatives, and we look forward to seeing the innovative and impactful strategies she will bring to PACF. Moving forward, Irene can be reached at iwong@paloaltocommfund.org.

As we embark on this new chapter, we are filled with optimism about the opportunities ahead. With Irene at the helm, committed board members, ardent donors who strongly believe in the power of giving where they live, and a  remarkable community of resilient, hardworking, and compassionate nonprofits we will build a truly vibrant local community where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to PACF.