Our passionate, mission driven board of directors dream big and have stellar credentials and experience. The common binding thread is a commitment to social change, equality and creating a better world.
Randy Haykin
Founder Gratitude Network
Randy Haykin is a well-known Silicon Valley angel, Serial entrepreneur and a Venture capitalist. He has mentored 70 + startups since. He runs a CEO Group in the Bay Area comprised of 18 high-growth CEOs. He is also a Wine Angel – Entrepreneur wines. He previously taught at UC Berkeley and U. Cambridge MBA programs. Randy holds a BA in Organizational Management from Brown University, and MBA from Harvard
Steve Kirch
Treasurer
Steve has spent more than 30 years as a manager and leader in high-tech (at IBM and Intel). He also Founded, Business Culture Advantage, productivity coaching. Certified to teach the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Steve has been married to Donna for more than 35 years and has two wonderfully intelligent and talented daughters. He also has a passion for music – singing with two award-winning Bay Area barbershop choruses.
Laura Traxler
Secretary
Laura developed a long career at Bank of America, where her last role Senior Vice President and Managing Director Bank of America. Laura was also COO and Marketing Manager at Insight Resource Group, a marketing services organization. She also serves on boards for-profit and non-profit, including Teach for America, Education Foundation of Orinda, and Miramonte High School.
As an empty-nester, Laura enjoys her work in the non-profit world and seeing the difference she can make
Colleen Atkinson
Board Member
Colleen has spent nearly 30 years in commercial banking, currently serving as Executive Vice President of the Professional Banking Division of California Bank of Commerce where she specializes in the unique financial service offerings to professional service firms and not-for-profit organizations throughout the Bay Area. Colleen’s previous bank experience includes senior roles with HSBC, Comerica Bank and Silicon Valley Bank, where she specialized in financing & credit underwriting, investment advisory & securities trading, liquidity & cash management, and new business development.
Colleen currently serves on the board of The Mel and Leta Ramos Family Foundation supporting visual arts and furthering arts education. She lives in Danville with her two sons and is passionate about music, art, books and fitness.
Amy Cole
Board Member
Amy Cole is an entrepreneur and driven leader with 30+ years of expertise consulting on business growth, financial and marketing strategies. As President at ABI Group, a boutique M&A advisory firm, she works closely with business owners and advisors to prepare for exit or sale, seek Acquisition candidates and achieve an ideal transaction structure. Prior, Ms. Cole enjoyed a 20 year progressive background in Vice President and leadership roles with venture backed start-ups, mid-market firms, public companies as well digital agencies.
Amy has 20+ years of board experience including President roles with both CABB (California Association of Business Brokers) and as founding prescient of Hawks Education Fund. She holds an MBA from Santa Clara University, lives in the SF East Bay with her husband, is a proud mother of 3 boys, an active community volunteer, fundraiser and enjoys hiking, horseback riding, yoga, reading and family adventures.
Don Errigo
Board Member
Don has a 25-year career in building executive teams. Since founding the Errigo Group in 1997, the firm has placed hundreds of C-suite executives, corporate officers and board members in innovative companies in North America and Asia. Don was the founder of a tech incubator, and is an active angel investor, venture limited partner and engages in philanthropy causes focused on economic and social empowerment. He lives in Pleasanton and enjoys sailing on the SF Bay, cycling, auto racing and most of all, his family.
Harry Kellogg
Board Member
Harry has a 30-year career at SVB. He serves as the Vice chairman of the board of Silicon Valley Bank and Head of strategic relationships for SVB Financial Group. He is responsible for overseeing SVB Financial Group’s venture capital, private equity, private banking and premium wine activities. Named one of Upside Magazine’s “100 People Who Changed Our World.”
Actively involved in many civic and industry organizations and serves on many of their boards and advisory boards, including TechNet, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, Financial Executives International, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, California/Israel Chamber of Commerce, The Tuck Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship, and is an emeritus board member of the Technology Museum of Innovation
Jim Marggraff
Board Member
For more than 30 years Jim has dedicated his energy and vision to creating innovative solutions. Jim founded Eyefluence and sold to GOOGLE in 2017. As the inventor of the world’s first smartpen, he founded Livescribe. He is also SVP, LeapFrog, children’s technology and learning company. In June 2011, Jim received Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” award.
Jim’s inventions and content have impacted more than 100 million children and adults in reading, math, and language skills, and have sparked and fueled a passion for lifelong learning for people around the globe. He is also author of How to Raise a Founder with Heart. Jim is a graduate of MIT.
Mike Schwab
Board Member
Mike has 25 years of experience in sales / marketing and business development. He is the founding executive team member at Access Information Management and most recently served as Executive Vice President Enterprise Sales. Mike is serving in an interim role to help drive strategic projects with an emphasis on financial development to support Gratitude’s programs.
He lives in Half Moon Bay and is passionate about music, sports, entertaining friends at the beach and getting lost in a good history book.
Rex Shoemake
Board Member
Rex is VP of Sales and Owner of MadetoOrder. MadetoOrder partners with customers to provide creative sourcing and sales of branded products that customer marketing departments, in turn, use to further promote their company’s products and services.
Rex lives in Pleasanton and enjoys all that the Bay Area has to offer, as well as traveling as often as possible.
David Stiehr
Board Member
David has a 30-year history of launching successful companies including Heart Technology, Heartstream, SURx, & BARRx, among others. He is the Product Director, Google and Co-founder of Eyefluence, sold to GOOGLE 2017. He has focused his career on developing and bringing new technology into new markets.
Nothing motivates him like the opportunity (and the success) of changing the world in some way—on a national/global scale.
Dave has a degree from Purdue U. in ME.
John Brown
Board Member
John Brown has been involved in the technology industry for almost 30 years. He has spent 20 years of his business career working in marketing at Apple, Inc. He has had a front row seat in the development and marketing of some of Apple’s most world changing products. The lessons learned in this part of his journey are invaluable. He has great insight in creating personal and product visions for success, understanding how to connect with your customer base at a visceral level, cutting through ambiguity to drive what matters, and developing individuals and teams to thrive personally while being highly productive. Most recently, he has become a member of Apple’s Inclusion and Diversity team developing career development initiatives for under-represented minorities and women.
John is also a certified executive coach and licensed marriage and family therapist. He blends his extensive business knowledge with his vast knowledge of human behavior to help others uncover their natural skills, realize their goals and achieve their dreams. This approach help individuals develop a self that can thrive in any climate and through the unexpected challenges that we all face throughout our life’s journey.
John has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years with his wife and daughter. He’s an avid sports fan and a die-hard Cleveland Browns and Indians fan. He passionately supports nonprofits focused on youth development. In his spare time, he loves to explore different cultures around the world.
