Dedicated to building a career through service to others, our professional staff of 11 full-time and 6 part-time employees oversees Family Giving Tree’s day-to-day operations.
Executive Team
Jill Mitsch - Interim CEO
Jill joined Family Giving Tree in March 2020, and brings over 15 years of nonprofit experience focused on supporting under-resourced communities. At Family Giving Tree she's served in key leadership roles, including Deputy Director and head of development efforts.
If her 8-year-old self knew she'd have a job surrounded by toys and school supplies, young Jill would be amazed. One of Jill's favorite parts at Family Giving Tree is when drive leaders drop off a carload of filled backpacks or holiday gifts that they collected from their networks. This reinforces one of her core beliefs: everyone has the ability to bring joy and hope to their community.
A Morgan Hill native with a BA in English from San Jose State, Jill spends her free time gardening, making a mess in the kitchen, and staying active. When not at work, she's likely to be found with her nose in a book or hanging out with her husband and two cats.
Jennifer Cullenbine - Founder and Director of Transition and Donor Development
Co-founder of the Family Giving Tree, today Jennifer serves as Chief Executive Officer and is known by many long-term supporters and volunteers as the Queen Elf. Jennifer earned her Master's degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University, where the idea for the Family Giving Tree was born. Jennifer is affiliated with many organizations, including the Entrepreneurs Organization, The Milpitas Chamber of Commerce, and the Rotary Club of Milpitas, where she recently served as President.
Jess Gutierrez - Chief Financial Officer
As hedoes for several other nonprofits, Jess currently acts as Family Giving Tree’s part-time CFO. With a B.S. from Santa Clara University and an MBA from Pepperdine University, Jess is an expert in small-to-medium-sized operations with added extensive work in the nonprofit sector. He specializes in financial reporting, internal controls, business planning, financial systems, and organization development.
Charlotte Wood - Director of Marketing and Development
A Rhode Island native, Charlotte graduated with a B.A. in Studio Art from Kenyon College and pursued a career in advertising. Working on the agency side first, she transitioned to the client side, brought her skills to Silicon Valley, and worked as an advertising and media manager in the high-tech sector before opening a small consulting business with her husband. Charlotte joined Family Giving Tree in 2016 as part of their marketing team and assumed the role of Director of Marketing in 2018 and her latest role in 2022. She lives in the Sierra Nevada.
Finance & Administration
Kristina Afzal - IT Manager
Lisa Hiatt - Drive Logistics Coordinator
Liza Levin - Executive Assistant
Tennille Frye - Bookkeeper & Payroll Specialist
Community Programs
Partner Relations
Evelyn Huynh - Partner Relations Manager
Eddie Gutierrez - Community Drive Coordinator
Margarita Galindo - Institutional Giving Officer
Program Operations
Ashley Jacques Vestri - Agency Coordinator
Carmen Talavera - Programs Team Manager
Celeste Delamore - Lead Agency Coordinator
Doug Harney - Facilities/Trucking
Shannon Fey - Volunteer Coordinator
Marketing & Development
Development
Brianna Williams - Development Officer
Kim Foster - Development Associate
Marketing
Michael J Smith - Marketing Coordinator
PinnPinn Sha - Content Creator & Coordinator
Board
With a dedicated group of volunteers, the Board guides the Family Giving Tree in pursuing its goals. Our Board members regularly commit their time, energy, and funds to our overall cause and mission, exhibiting extreme commitment and dedication.
Andrea Borch, Board Chair (2019)
Helping out with the 2007 Holiday Wish Drive showed Andrea and her family the necessary and valuable role the Family Giving Tree fulfills in local communities. The Borch Family has been part of that effort ever since, and Andrea has also served as a Drive Leader for the Back-to-School and Holiday Wish Drives. A committed volunteer, Andrea sits on the Humane Society Silicon Valley board, for which she also fosters kittens, provides animal transport, and bakes and decorates cakes for another wonderful nonprofit “Cake4Kids.” In other moments of the day, Andrea reads, listens to podcasts, and walks the family’s two rescue dogs with her husband. Andrea earned a BS and MS in journalism from Northwestern University.
Dominic Mills (2019)
Dominic is a California Certified Public Accountant and UK Chartered Accountant with over a decade of experience in public accounting. Dominic began his career in the financial services industry in his native UK, earning his bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance at the University of Leeds. Dominic is an Audit Partner at a large accounting firm and oversees the execution of financial statement and internal control audits for public and private companies in and around Silicon Valley. Dominic’s passion for charitable giving stems from his experience as a child putting together Christmas packages for children caught up in the conflict in Bosnia. In his spare time, Dominic enjoys cycling and running. He spends weekends exploring the bay alongside his wife and two young children.
Sachi Patel (2020)
Sachi has over 11 years of professional experience working in public accounting as a Director with PricewaterhouseCoopers, primarily with large, multi-location public companies and pre-IPO companies in the technology sector. She is licensed as a California Certified Public Accountant. She has served as the Family Giving Tree's Board of Directors director since April 2020 and is passionate about giving back and helping children in underserved communities.
Shelene Huey-Booker (2020)
Shelene has been an Angel Elf with the Family Giving Tree for over 12 years; needless to say, FGT has a very special place in her heart. She is the Children's Ministry Director of WestGate Church South Hills Campus, the CEO of YUPP organization, New Mission Community Development Corporation, a music teacher, and a community activist. Her greatest joy is helping the underserved find hope and pursue their dreams. Her daughter and beloved husband have been alongside her, serving at FGT. She has a B.A. in music from Santa Clara University and a Master's in Management (Public Administration) from the University of Phoenix.
Malcolm Humphrey (2022)
Malcolm Humphrey has more than 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry at National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, and Micron Technologies. In January of 2023, he retired as Vice President and General Manager at Micron. A Massachusetts native, Malcolm has lived in California for over 25 years and was first introduced to FGT in 2007. Both of his now-grown children have each helped him shop in the executive shopping sprees he has sponsored to benefit FGT’s holiday drives over the years. Malcolm earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Cornell University, and his master’s in business at MIT.
Gagan Sekhon (2022)
Gagan was raised by a single mom since the age of 3 in India. She immigrated with her family to California in 1995. She has a bachelor's degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics from California State University, East Bay, and a Master's degree in Mathematics from the University of Connecticut. She has over ten years of experience in Fraud Prevention and Payment Processing focused in the Fintech Industry.
John Mansperger (2023)
John has been an Angel Elf for over 27 years, starting at FGT in 1995. John is married and has two grown children, all three of whom are also angel elves. John has over 30 years of experience in the high-tech industry, including AMD, Pure Storage, and Dell/EMC. John is a USAF veteran and son of a USAF veteran. He has recently completed serving as president and chairman of Momentum, a local men’s organization. He has lived in California since 1989.
Joelle Hurlston (2023)
Joelle has worked as a Hazardous Materials Inspector/Consultant to municipalities for thirty years, which stemmed from her previous role as a Captain in the Milpitas Fire Department. Joelle serves on the nonprofit Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council Board and is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster youth. She and her husband reside in the South Bay and, through their family foundation, support local organizations that meet the needs of the community, of which Family Giving Tree is one.
Lee Du (2023)
Lee is a cybersecurity professional specializing in strategy, risk, and compliance in the advisory practice with PwC. With over 15 years of experience, Lee has helped clients in various industries, including technology, media, and healthcare, develop and implement effective risk management and compliance strategies. Lee is a SoCal native with a strong commitment to giving back to his community using his skills and expertise to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Joanne Peters (2024)
Joanne is a seasoned program and project manager with over two decades of experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. She holds an M.A. in Business Communication and PMP certification and applies her diverse skill set to community relations, Salesforce management, and operational improvements. She is now a Special Projects Volunteer at the East Palo Alto Academy Foundation and a Reading Tutor Volunteer supporting the Ravenswood City School District. She has a strong track record in fundraising and a commitment to community service, as evidenced by her volunteer work with organizations like Family Giving Tree and the American Heart Association. Her blend of corporate expertise and dedication to the nonprofit sector makes her a valuable asset in driving positive community impact.
David Proulx (2024)
David Proulx is a senior software engineer with over three decades of experience. His career spans roles at prominent tech companies like Sun Microsystems and Blunk Microsystems, and his expertise includes programming in C#, .NET, WPF, Blazor, C, Java, and Python, as well as extensive experience with Linux systems. Beyond his technical prowess, David has a passion for continuous learning and improvement in software development, and his adaptability is evident in his diverse project history. When not coding, he enjoys roller hockey, bicycling, and giving back to the community through volunteer work at Julian Street Inn Homeless Shelter and with Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley.
Brenda Swiney, Treasurer (2024)
As a solopreneur with over 20 years of financial and operational experience, Brenda provides CFO/COO level expertise to emerging technology companies, recently joining one as their full-time CFO. She has B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Colorado, Denver. Early in her career, she spent over eight years in financial consulting, with over six years at PwC, and maintains an active CPA license and her CMA, CGMA, and CAMS certifications. Brenda is on the committees and some boards of many organizations: Rotary Club of San Jose and Rotary Int'l District 5170; Financial Executives Int'l; AICPA, IMA, Accounting, and Financial Women’s Alliance; Women in Consulting; and (formerly) the Humane Society of Silicon Valley.
