FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SKOLL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES SIX NEW APPOINTMENTS

PALO ALTO, Calif. – August 18, 2004 – From its new headquarters in Palo Alto, the Skoll Foundation today announced six key appointments that are designed to strengthen the organization at a time of accelerated growth.

The new appointments are Sandy Herz as Vice President, Marketing and Communications; Richard Fahey as Controller; Ruth Norris as Senior Program Officer; Avon Swofford as Program Officer; Pamela Lawrence as Program Coordinator; and Wendy Marzetta as Assistant to the President.

To accommodate its growing staff, the Skoll Foundation recently moved to new offices located at 250 University Ave., Suite 200, Palo Alto, Calif. 94301. The new main office phone number is (650) 331-1031.

In her new role as Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Sandy Herz is responsible for leading a growing team of professionals who implement the Skoll Foundation’s “connect and celebrate” strategy for social entrepreneurs. In addition to overall marketing and communications activities, her responsibilities include “The New Heroes” documentary series, the Social Edge online community and the annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, England.

Sandy previously was Executive Director of the Software Development Forum in San Jose, Calif., a leading Silicon Valley software industry networking organization. Under her leadership, the organization merged the Center for Software Development and the Software Forum, increased its membership to more than 2,000 members, expanded member services and established an annual Visionary Award Celebration that honors industry figures who have enriched the lives of others while pioneering innovation and fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship.

Sandy also worked as Corporate Services Manager for Project HIRED in Sunnyvale, Calif., a nonprofit employment service that helps people with disabilities find competitive employment; and as Senior Account Officer with Citibank N.A. in New York City. Her community involvement includes serving on the Steve Westly Technology Advisory Committee and on the Board of Advisors of Social Advocates for Youth.

She received a bachelor’s degree in history and international relations from Brown University, a master’s degree in administration and policy analysis from the Stanford University School of Education and a master’s degree in business administration from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

As Controller, Richard Fahey is responsible for the Skoll Foundation’s budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, purchasing, risk management and internal controls. He brings more than 20 years of experience in financial and operations management with Hewlett-Packard.

Richard’s most recent position was Finance Director for HP Services, where he was responsible for financial policies and compliance in areas such as revenue recognition and expenditure controls. He also led several infrastructure initiatives that contributed in excess of $50 million in cost savings to HP’s bottom line. In addition, Richard served as controller for a $200 million global profit center and for HP’s worldwide procurement operations, and managed the order fulfillment and logistics functions for HP’s Latin America region.

As a research analyst with the Federal Reserve Board, Richard modeled the relationship between interest rates and inflation expectations.

Richard earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.

In her position as Senior Program Officer, Ruth Norris manages the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship grant portfolio. In her previous role as a consultant to international donors and intermediary organizations, she designed, managed and evaluated grant-making programs, capacity-building initiatives, and monitoring and evaluation systems. Her background is in conservation and sustainable development, and during her career she has worked with the National Audubon Society, Nature Conservancy, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Mexican Fund for Nature Conservation, World Wildlife Fund and the World Bank.

As Program Officer, Avon Swofford is a key member of the Program and Effectiveness team. Having worked for more than 17 years in the nonprofit community, she has broad experience in a variety of areas, including health care, women’s reproductive health, youth services, education, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, conservation, organizational effectiveness and fund-raising. Her most recent position was Program Manager for the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

In her role as Program Coordinator, Pamela Lawrence is responsible for assisting Skoll Foundation staff with all grant-making activities. She brings more than 20 years of experience in office management, both in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She was most recently Office Manager at the Women Donors Network.

As Assistant to the President, Wendy Marzetta works closely with Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation. Wendy previously was Executive Assistant at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation in Los Altos, Calif., where she provided administrative support to the Program Director.

Sally Osberg, President and CEO, said, “We are very pleased to welcome these experienced professionals at a time when the Skoll Foundation is growing rapidly, innovating and implementing new strategies. We welcome their help as the foundation works to support social entrepreneurs in their important work worldwide.”

About the Skoll Foundation

Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., the Skoll Foundation was created in 1999 by Jeff Skoll, the first employee and first president of eBay. Its mission is to advance systemic change by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs, who are individuals who dedicate their lives to creating new solutions that result in lasting improvements to communities around the world.

The Skoll Foundation invests in social entrepreneurs through three award programs and the new Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the Said Business School at Oxford University. The Foundation connects social entrepreneurs through its online community, Social Edge, at www.socialedge.org. It celebrates social entrepreneurs through media projects such as a four-part public television documentary called “The New Heroes” that will be broadcast in early 2005, and via the Skoll World Forum for Social Entrepreneurship, which is held every spring at the Skoll Centre. For more information, visit www.skollfoundation.org.

Contact:
Terry Nagel - Skoll Foundation
media@skollfoundation.org