Philanthropy Panel to Feature UC Regent, Schwab Execs, PR Entrepreneur

Four top female leaders in the world of philanthropy will share their insights in a panel discussion Nov. 4 as part of the second annual Schwab Charitable Philanthropy Speakers Series.

Presented by the Haas School's Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership, the Women in Philanthropy panel discussion will be moderated by Kimberly Wright-Violich, president of Schwab Charitable. Wright-Violich has held previous leadership positions at several major nonprofit organizations in Northern California, including serving as board director and vice chair at KQED Public TV-FM and board director and president of the Junior League of San Francisco.

The panel also will feature:

  • Beth Sawi, author of Coming Up for Air: How to Live a Balanced Life in a Workaholic World. Sawi worked at Charles Schwab & Co. for 20 years in a variety of positions, including chief administrative officer, president of Schwab's mutual fund subsidiary, and executive vice president of marketing. She currently serves on the boards of the Alameda County Community Food Bank, the Ms. Foundation for Women, and Working Assets.
     
  • UC Regent Leslie Tang-Schilling, founder and director of Union Square Investments Company, a commercial real estate investment and management firm. She also serves as a director of KOA Holdings and a commissioner of the Asian Art Museum. She is co-founder of Toys for the Tenderloin and is a director of the Committee of 100, a national non-partisan organization that focuses on issues concerning the Chinese-American community.
     
  • Simone Otus Coxe, BA 81 (Political Science), a board member of the World Affairs Council and former board chair of The Pluralism Fund. Coxe, who has been involved in the public sector for more than 25 years, was a board director of Palo Alto Partners in Education. She co-founded a public relations firm and served as its CEO until 1998, retiring in 2002.

The panel discussion will run from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. RSVPs are required by Nov. 3. The event is free for UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff; $10 for alumni; and $15 for the general public.

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