With every immense challenge comes immense opportunity. Although our country and our region face major upheaval on multiple fronts—from public health to the economy to racial injustice—SV2 sees this as an opportunity to rethink and reinvent, and to become more inspired, inclusive, and impactful in the way we address Silicon Valley’s challenges and support effective solutions.
This is also a time of transition in SV2’s Staff team. Starting in July, Chief Relationship Officer Lisa Van Dusen will become the next Executive Director of the Palo Alto Community Fund, sharing her talents and experience as a long-time community leader in a new way. Our Communications and Events Manager Mariam Nur will be moving on at the end of July to pursue a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) at the Harvard Kennedy School with a concentration in International & Global Affairs (IGA).
SV2 Chief Executive Officer Linda Lazor will also be transitioning later this year in September. Linda will return to her retirement, which she had stepped away from to lead SV2’s current three-year strategic plan. As we come to the end of this plan, Linda decided the time was right for SV2 to transition to a new leader.
SV2’s board of directors has already launched a professional search for an experienced leader who will help us continue our growth while reimagining the critically important role that SV2 can play in our rapidly changing world. Both Linda and Lisa will remain engaged as SV2 Partners.
Over the past several years, SV2 has significantly increased its impact, growing the size and strength of our Partner community as well as support for the promising social venture organizations we have backed. We have also embraced greater virtual engagement, allowing us to deepen and extend our community while continuing to catalyze meaningful social change. We are thrilled by the benefits of our new, online approach; it not only saves time and the environment, but it has also democratized the ability to participate from any location.
Thank you to Lisa, Mariam and Linda for their extraordinary contributions to SV2’s mission. At the same time, the need for strategic social investors and strong social ventures is greater than ever, given the economic, physical, and social disruptions brought on over the last several months by the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened awareness of deep racial injustice across our country. As SV2 plans for its future, we believe our accomplishments have positioned us well to continue to transform the lives and prospects of more individuals and communities in years to come. We are thrilled about our future possibilities – and look forward to the steadfast support of our entire SV2 community as we continue to evolve and expand our impact.