Board of Directors

 

Olga Murray (President) In Nepal, the NYOF kids call her "Olga didi," meaning "older sister." President of NYOF's board, Olga Murray is living proof that getting older doesn't mean slowing down, not that she ever did. Born in 1925 in Transylvania, Olga Murray came to the U.S. as a six year old and eventually graduated from Columbia University and law school at George Washington University, where she was one of the few female students. She had worked her way through school by researching and writing for famed muckraking columnist Drew Pearson. With her law degree in hand, she found that no law firm would hire a woman. So Olga knocked on the door of the California Supreme Court, where she became a research attorney for Chief Justice Phil Gibson. When he retired, Olga joined the law staff of the new Justice Stanley Mosk. During her 37-year tenure at the Court, Olga helped to write important decisions in the areas of civil rights, women's rights, and environmental policy. She retired in 1992 to launch yet another career—helping impoverished children in Nepal. Olga spends most of each year in Nepal overseeing NYOF's projects, and the rest of her time in Sausalito, California raising funds for NYOF—redefining just what a didi can do.

 

Steve Fox (Treasurer) has more than 15 years experience helping companies operate more efficiently. He is the controller of EO products, a manufacturer of natural and organic body care products. Prior to joining EO, he was the controller of Zocalo, a furniture designer and wholesaler, as well as the president of Start to Finish, a wholly owned subsidiary of Trek Bicycle Manufacturer where he successfully implemented a corporate turn-around. Steve spent four years in international operations; two years with Premark International and two years with Fortune Brands. He began his career at Ernst and Young in Chicago. Fox received his bachelor's degree in accounting from Northern Illinois University. He holds a CPA license and is active in the California CPA society. Fox is involved in both the local and global community. He is on the board of directors of Imago Products, an emerging consumer products company. He has traveled extensively and performed volunteer work in Kenya, Africa and Nan Province, Thailand. He and his wife Christina live in Marin County, California with their two children.

 

Yale Jones (Chairman) practiced law in San Francisco for 34 years and is now retired. He is a graduate of Stanford University (1963) and UCLA Law School (1966). In 1967 and 1968 he taught high school in Kenya with the U.S. Peace Corps. He has taught for the California Continuing Education of the Bar and other professional organizations, and served as Chairman of the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California. Yale and his wife Barbara have visited Nepal six times. They live in Taos, New Mexico, where they are actively involved in local non-profit and volunteer activities.

 

Karin Kramer is a trial partner in the San Francisco office of the law firm of Howrey, LLP where she practices Intellectual Property litigation with an emphasis on patent disputes. She received her undergraduate degree from Brown University in 1974 and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1977. Karin is also a member of the Board of the San Francisco Legal Aid Society. She visited Nepal in 1983 with her husband and found it a life-changing experience. She learned of NYOF in 2009 by reading a magazine article and was so moved by its mission that she immediately got in touch with Olga and volunteered to help.

 

Lori Perlstadt is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at M2 Inc, where she assists companies in reaching their business objectives by engaging professional-level independent consultants for a broad variety of business projects and interim roles. Lori has also acted as Sr. Director of Business Development at Pacific Telesis and as Director of Marketing for Royal Robbins, Inc. She earned an MBA from Harvard and a BA from Goucher College. Lori first heard about NYOF from a dear friend who worked on an early website for them in Kathmandu. Lori and her husband became donors immediately, impressed with NYOF's ability to make a difference.

Haydi Sowerwine (Secretary) worked for IDEO in Palo Alto , a leading product design firm, while raising 5 children - a blended family - with her husband David. In 1991, she and David moved to Nepal , where David had a job with USAID. After that work terminated, they formed their own company, EcoSystems (www.ecosystemsnepal.com) in 1996.Their first product was an appropriate technology bridge for the rural areas of Nepal and to date they have installed 31 much-needed inexpensive and easily maintained bridges in remote areas of the country. Their innovative designs have won a number of awards - the San Jose Tech Museum award in 2003 for their bridges, and recently a grant from the World Bank for their newest project - a human powered generator and electricity distribution system. Haydi was active in a number of organizations in Nepal which helped women and children. In the summer of 2005, Haydi and David moved back into their home in California to be close to their growing tribe of grandchildren and Haydi's 92 year old mother. Haydi's relationship with NYOF began very soon after it was established. She heard about J House from a friend, came for a visit, and from that day forward she and David have been enthusiastic supporters - from providing sage advice and referring donors, to helping to set up a data base for NYOF scholarship students. NYOF welcomed her to our board in 2006.

 

Tish Valles is the CEO of Strategic Stiletto, a boutique brand advocacy consultancy that deals with global strategic challenges with a contemporary view of conscious marketing. As an American born to a Filipino mother and a Spanish father, she possesses a rich multicultural perspective. She has lived in the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, New Mexico and, currently, New York; has conducted business across Asia, in North America and in Europe; and speaks three languages. Tish is the co-founder and marketing director of the Worldwide Women’s Web, a platform that empowers women which is currently in development.

 

Saskia van der Stap has been in Hong Kong for five years, where she has worked with ING Asia-Pacific in Corporate Communications and with a financial executive search firm, catering to private equity, investment management and investment banking clients. In late 2009, she decided to make the switch to fundraising and consultancy for NGOs. She is a volunteer consultant with the Business Development team of Asian Charity Services where she is responsible for the Youth & Children sector. Saskia is one of a team of four Hong Kong residents who are forming a local charity, "Olga’s Promise," to raise money exclusively to support projects of the Nepalese Youth Opportunity Foundation.
 

 

Totton Heffelfinger (Director Emeritus) has engaged in commercial and corporate law practice in the San Francisco Bay Area for 35 years. As vice president, general counsel, and secretary of Kaiser Cement Company, he resolved contract disputes and negotiated foreign transactions. As adjunct professor at the law schools of the University of California and the University of San Francisco, he taught courses in international business transactions, conflict of laws, and international dispute settlement. In addition to being a founding NYOF board member, he has served on the boards of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, the Planning and Conservation League, the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, and the Sierra Club.

 

Jack Rosston, who actively served NYOF from its inception, is now a retired board member. Over his career, Jack has devoted countless philanthropic hours to education. He has headed the University of California Alumni Association and the UC Berkeley Library Advisory Board; he was trustee and vice chairman of the UC Berkeley Foundation, as well as a Regent of the University of California.
 

 

Greg Rosston (advisory board member) has been involved with NYOF since its beginning.  His father, Jack, was one of the original board members and was with Olga on the infamous trek where she broke her leg.  Greg and his wife traveled to Nepal in 1991 to trek and to visit Olga and the kids she was helping.

Greg serves as the Deputy Director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and Deputy Director of the Public Policy program at Stanford University.  He served as Deputy Chief Economist at the Federal Communications Commission working on the implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and he helped to design and implement the first ever spectrum auctions in the United States.  He also serves as an advisory board member for Sustainable Conservation.

 

Renaud Samyn (advisory board member) works for the Capital Research Company as an investment analyst. He graduated from Columbia Business School and has lived in Hong Kong for the last five years. Renaud has been an active supporter of NYOF since 2006. He is working with others in Hong Kong to create Olga's Promise, a nonprofit organization based Hong Kong that raises funds for NYOF's programs.