Jan Masaoka, Blue Avocado
JanMasaoka is the Director and Editor-in-Chief of Blue Avocado, and writes our Board Café column, which she originated 10 years ago at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services. Jan was Executive Director of CompassPoint for 14 years, a consulting and training firm for nonprofits based in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, and which is a Blue Avocado charter partner.
Jan is an eight-time designee as one of the nonprofit nation’s “Fifty Most Influential People,” and in 2003 she was named “Nonprofit Executive of the Year” by Nonprofit Times. In 2005 she was named “California Community Leader of the Year” by Leadership California.
Jan’s community activities include serving as Chair of the Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, and a board member of the Community Initiative Funds of the San Francisco Foundation. She is an Advisory Board member for Stanford Social Innovation Review, and was a member of the Governance and Fiduciary Working Group of the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector convened to advise the US Senate Finance Committee. Jan lives in San Francisco and likes avocados of any color halved, with a little soy sauce poured into the center, and eaten with a spoon. (Read More)
Michael Gilbert, The Gilbert Center & Nonprofit Online News
Michael Gilbert is an internationally known consultant to foundations and nonprofits, an innovator in the field of nonprofit communication, an influential author, and a social entrepreneur.
He is the principal consultant, research director, contributing editor, and instructor for The Gilbert Center, as well as the author or editor of numerous publications, including Nonprofit Online News. He is often credited with helping ignite a revolution in nonprofit communication with his Email Manifesto and he is well known for his provocative and incise commentary. He is equally well known for his challenging and inspiring speeches.
Mr. Gilbert has directed several groundbreaking research projects, and has served as Executive Director or Chief Executive of six organizations, as a board member or officer of more than thirty, and as a communication and management consultant to over 1000 organizations in more than 20 countries over the last 25 years. He was born in Sweden, lives and works in Seattle, and counts Berlin as his home away from home. In his spare time, he’s a tango dancer. (Read More)
