Our Leadership

Kimberly Wright-Violich, President: Kimberly Wright-Violich is President of Schwab Charitable™, a leading national provider of philanthropic services. Ms. Wright-Violich has guided the organization’s growth from a six-month old non-profit start-up to the largest charity in California1 and one of the top 10 charities in the US. She has introduced numerous innovative programs to facilitate grant making and charitable asset management, resulting in over $3 billion dollars in contributions. She pioneered the Schwab Charitable Microfinance Program—the first program of its kind. It allows donors to use charitable assets in their accounts twice: first to guarantee small business loans to the world’s poor, and then after the guarantee period, for granting to other charities.

Ms. Wright-Violich is a sought-after thought leader on the topic of charitable giving. She is published and widely quoted, including in The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, MSNBC, Investment News, Stanford Social Innovation Review and Trust and Estates Magazine. Ms. Wright-Violich has been the recipient of many awards and recognitions including: being named one of San Francisco Bay Area’s 100 Most Influential Women in Business by the San Francisco Business Times (2006, 2007 and 2008), receiving a WATCH award (Women at the Center of Leadership and Vision) from the Junior League of San Francisco, and being named one of the 50 most influential women in the US in wealth management by Wealth Manager magazine.

Ms. Wright-Violich has held a series of leadership positions at major non-profit organizations in Northern California, including on the Board of Directors of Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc. (2007-present), the Non-Profit and Public Management Program of the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley (2006-present), Volunteer Center of San Francisco (1992-97), Marin Youth in Arts (1990-96), and President of the Junior League of San Francisco (1993-1994). She received an undergraduate degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, did post-graduate work at the Mass Media Institute at Stanford University, and completed the Business School Executive Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

¹ Chronicle of Philanthropy 2006
Nicholas Hodges, Chief Operating Officer: Nick was a tenured executive with Charles Schwab & Co. for 11 years before joining our charitable organization in 2002. He has a solid history of managing large-scale technology initiatives as well as managing operations. In his current role, he is responsible for new program development, technology and donor relations. Nick chairs the board of a San Francisco-based anti-violence organization, which provides services to clients and communities throughout the State of California. He also sits on the investment committee of a local community foundation.
Susan H. Heldman, Vice President & Controller: Susan (Susy) Heldman has held leadership and controller positions at major nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area since 1993. Prior to moving to the Bay Area she was employed in controller positions in the oil and gas industry in Southern California. Susy serves in numerous volunteer positions, including for the Alumni Class Leadership for Mount Holyoke College, and on the boards of the Northern California Club and the Calvary Presbyterian Foundation. Susy also serves on the Finance Committee for the Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College. Susy enjoys using her vacation time to volunteer abroad, with recent experiences in Argentina and Thailand.

Susy received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA and her MBA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She has attended executive programs in non-profit management and leadership at Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Kim Laughton, Chief Marketing Officer: Kim held a variety of marketing leadership positions at Charles Schwab and Co. for 12 years before joining Schwab Charitable in 2007. Prior to that, she was Vice President of Marketing for Citibank-Asia/Pacific and a Consultant for Bain & Company. Her strongest expertise is in strategy and new product development and will lead these areas for Schwab Charitable. She has been active in volunteer work in her community and currently serves on several school boards as well as an educational foundation board.

Kim received undergraduate degrees from Stanford University in Economics and Biology and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has also completed executive coursework in non-profit and foundation management from Stanford Business School.
Barbara Benware, Vice President Investment Oversight & Risk Management: Barbara spent eighteen years as an executive in wealth management prior to joining Schwab Charitable, most recently as Vice President of Planning & Investments and Chief Compliance Officer for Union Square Investment Company, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm. Earlier in her career, Barbara held management roles in Finance, Business and Product Planning in the telecommunications industry.

Barbara earned a BA in Economics from American University in Washington, D.C. She is a Certified Investment Management Analyst Designee, with a Certificate in Alternative Investments.
Chris Yaros, Director of Operations: Chris held a variety of leadership positions in Operations at Charles Schwab and Co. for 13 years before joining Schwab Charitable in 2006. In his current role, he is responsible for the timely and accurate distribution of grants to charities as well as the delivery of exceptional service to the donors and their financial advisors. Since joining the organization, Chris has led several key initiatives to increase efficiencies and keep the first-class service delivery in place. Chris serves on the Board of the Shih-Yu Lang Central YMCA in San Francisco and also sits on the Member Services Committee of the Embarcadero YMCA.

Chris received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in Biology and Anthropology. He has attended an executive program in non-profit management and leadership at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
LesLee Burnett, Director of Project Management: LesLee oversees project and program development at Schwab Charitable, including enhancements to the online Donor Center and employee systems. She brings over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector to Schwab Charitable, including employee volunteer program management and disaster volunteer coordination.

LesLee received a BA from California State University, Chico and a MA from John F. Kennedy University, where her graduate work focused on Generation X as an emerging influential donor base. LesLee joined Schwab Charitable in 2000 as head of Grants Administration before moving into her current role in 2006.

Board of Directors

Charles R. Schwab - Director and Chairman

Charles Schwab is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Charles Schwab Corporation, one of the nation's leading financial services firms. Mr. Schwab serves on the boards of several national charities, including the National Park Foundation (Director), the Parent's Educational Resource Center (Chairman), All Kinds of Minds, the Charles & Helen Schwab Foundation, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Mr. Schwab was also recently appointed to Chair of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy.; Mr. Schwab joined our Board in April 1999.
Sanford R. Robertson - Director: Sanford Robertson founded investment banking firm Robertson, Stephens & Co. He is a founder of Francisco Partners and serves on the boards of a broad range of corporate and philanthropic organizations including the Tech Museum of Innovation, the University of California President's Board on Science and Innovation, SF Jazz, the Democratic Leadership Council, the Asia Society, the University of Michigan President's Advisory Council and the investment committee of the Kamehameha Schools.; Mr. Robertson joined our Board in April 1999.
Charlene Harvey - Director: Charlene Harvey is currently on the boards of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the San Francisco Foundation, and WELL Network. She has served as chair of a number of nonprofit boards including KQED, the Junior League of San Francisco, the San Francisco Mental Health Association and Bridgeway Plan for Health.; Ms. Harvey joined our Board in September 2000.
Brooks Walker, Jr. - Director: Brooks Walker is past Chairman of San Francisco Real Estate Investors and former Chairman of the Board of USL Capital Corporation. Mr. Walker serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.; Mr. Walker joined our Board in April 1999.
Beth Sawi - Director: Beth Sawi serves on the boards of the Alameda County Community Food Bank and Working Assets, the provider of Credo Mobile credit cards and long distance service. She is also a past member of the board of the Ms. Foundation for Women and of the Advisory Council of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Beth held several executive positions, including Chief Administrative Officer, with Charles Schwab & Co. until her retirement in 2002. She is the author of the book Coming Up for Air: How to Live a Balanced Life in a Workaholic World.; Mrs. Sawi joined our Board in March 2004.
Nicholas Donatiello, Jr. - Director: Prior to founding Odyssey, he was Press Secretary and then Campaign Manager for U.S. Senator Bill Bradley and a consultant with McKinsey & Company. From 2001 to 2008, Mr. Donatiello served on the board of Northern California Public Broadcasting (NCPB), serving as Chairman of the Board his last three years. By the end of his tenure as Chairman NCPB was the most watched public television broadcaster and most listened to public radio broadcaster in the country. Mr. Donatiello is also a member of the Board of Directors of Dolby Laboratories.; Mr. Donatiello joined our Board in January 2010.