Our Team

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.

Leadership Team

Jennifer Cullenbine - CEO and Founder

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 he does 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. 

Jill Mitsch - Deputy Director

Jill grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from San Jose State University with a B.A. in English. Jill has worked in the non-profit sector since 2007 and serves on the board of directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Silicon Valley Chapter. In 2013, Jill and a couple of her friends launched 100+ Women Who Care Silicon Valley, a women’s giving circle that has raised over $60,000 for local nonprofits. 

Charlotte Wood - Director of Marketing

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.

Staff   

Board Members

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.

Andrea Gray (2021)

Andrea is the Director of Administration and Finance, Sustainability Accelerator at the Center at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University. Andrea started her career at Stanford as a director at the Graduate School of Business, responsible for delivering innovation and entrepreneurship programs internationally. She then spent 2 years at the School of Medicine as an internal consultant, focused on international strategy and graduate medical education. Before Stanford, Andrea managed a product line at a Fortune 500 company, helped lead a technology startup from conception to acquisition, worked as a strategy consultant, played a leadership role at a grassroots non-profit, and directed an educational foundation. She enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband, dog, and college-aged boys in her spare time. e. 

Gagan Sekhon (2022)

Board Meeting Calendar