We are thrilled to welcome three new members to SV2’s Board of Directors: Rita Mancera, Mica Mayo, and Deepti Sharma. As part of our Strategic Plan’s emphasis on equity and power sharing, one of the new Board members, Rita Mancera, is a former SV2 Community Partner Grantee, joining three other former Community Partner Grantees on the Board.
We are also thrilled to announce that Clara Roa has been elected the new SV2 Board Chair and Rachel Klausner the new Board Vice Chair. Clara previously served as Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of the Program Committee. She joined SV2 as a Donor Partner in 2011, co-led the Pathways to Early Life Development Grant Round, served on the Community Initiative Core Team, and also served as a Partner Champion for SV2 Grantee Upward Scholars. Rachel joined SV2 in 2014, co-led the North Fair Oaks Community Grant Round, and served as Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committee.
We are also very grateful to outgoing Board Chair Kwok Lau and outgoing Board members Lisa Guerra, Kera Jewett, Manny Smith, and Paul Work for their years of service. Kwok served as Board Chair for two years and has held numerous leadership roles at SV2, including Grant Round Leader, Partner Champion for SV2 Grantees SOMOS Mayfair and Puente de la Costa Sur, and member of the SV2 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group. Lisa served on the Finance Committee and co-led Grant Rounds focused on affordable housing and the environment. Kera brought her professional expertise in nonprofit fund development to SV2, serving on the Development and Finance Committees. Manny is the founder of EdVisorly, an SV2 Investee Partner, and brought his lived experience as a founder to the SV2 Board and Program Committee discussions. Paul chaired the Finance Committee and, as a long-time Donor Partner, brought his sense of SV2’s history to our strategy conversations.
We appreciate all of these stellar leaders and all they have given to the SV2 community during their time on the Board. And welcome to our newest Board members – please read more about them below!
Rita Mancera
Rita Mancera Hernández, born in Mexico City and raised in Baja California Sur, began her non-profit journey in her teens, inspired by her parents’ values of education, hard work, and community involvement. Early experiences with the YMCA of Mexico and the Latin American and Caribbean Alliance of YMCAs exposed her to social justice issues and economic inequities across Latin America, and nearly 20 years in Pescadero deepen her understanding of immigration and the unique challenges of rural life on the South Coast.
Since joining Puente in 2006, Rita has advanced from conducting home visits for families to leading initiatives in immigration legal services, community building, adult education, youth leadership, and economic development. As Executive Director since January 2016, she collaborates with her dedicated team and board to shape the organization’s strategic vision and operational priorities. Her professional goals focus on expanding educational opportunities, cultivating local leadership, creating pathways to lasting economic and social well-being, and promoting affordable housing. Rita holds a Master’s degree in Education from Universidad YMCA in Mexico City, is a fellow of the American Leadership Fellowship Education Class of XVIII, and volunteers on local boards and advisory councils in the Bay Area. She is also the recipient of the 2025 HBS Community Partners of Northern California Social Enterprise Scholarship.
Mica Mayo
Mica Eades Mayo stands out as a dynamic, executive operations and finance powerhouse with a penchant for driving revenue growth and transformation, and for inspiring people with her storytelling superpower. She has over two decades in the hyper-innovation, hi-tech sector with industry legends and darlings like ServiceNow, Juniper Networks, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems.
After earning her MBA in Finance from Cornell University, Mica returned to Silicon Valley to rise and shine amidst the dot.com revolution of Sun. She then found her calling working alongside sales in the Go-To-Market function, accelerating time to revenue and expanding lifetime contract value. Most recently, she steered the lead-to-cash digital transformation at ServiceNow, helping to fuel the rocket ship from $2B to $10B ARR in 5+ years.
Mica currently serves as an industry luminary, angel investor, and advisor for Aviso AI. She is vice chair of the board for the American Leadership Forum-Silicon Valley. She is also a member of BLCK VC, a limited partner in multiple female-founded VC funds, and an active impact investor at SV2. She is also the co-founder of Untapped Investing with a mission to spark change and profoundly impact the venture landscape, actively closing the funding and wealth gap, which has excluded people of color and women, both as founders and funders.
Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma is the co-founder of an online platform that brings together the innovation triangle—government, private sector, and academia—to collaborate on global challenges. With over 15 years of experience, Deepti is a seasoned business strategy and operations leader, known for driving corporate growth and providing insights that align strategic goals with daily operations. She has supported both defense and civilian customers in the federal government consulting space, implementing governance frameworks and methodologies to predict risks and take preventive actions early. Deepti has also volunteered with organizations focused on education and supporting differently-abled individuals. Currently, she is a mentor with the Miller Center at Santa Clara University, where she helps guide social entrepreneurs working to address global challenges. Deepti holds a Master of Engineering from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Mumbai University. She also co-led SV2’s Education Equity grant round, deepening her commitment to advancing educational opportunity through collective giving.
Join us in welcoming these terrific new Board members!