Special Convenings

Thrive, The Alliance of Nonprofits for San Mateo County, in partnership with the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, will bring together community leaders on January 19th for a special convening on community engagement and what's next for San Mateo County in light of the national trajectory.  

Our goal is to create a space for our local leaders to share community feedback regarding the divisive political climate, and also start to create checklists and action plans in the case that radical policy shifts do come to pass. We know it's safe to assume that our local community will be relied upon more heavily if drastic changes occur at the national level. We also know that community based organizations, in conjunction with our County, will likely be leaned on to address service gaps that could result for our most vulnerable populations. 

We aim to then reconvene the group on Friday, March 3, from 9am-11:30am, to check in and take into account any new information. At this meeting, we plan to have representation from Sacramento to connect to statewide conversations. 

While there are many unknowns, we'd still like to bring people together to provide community connection during a time of transition and uncertainty. We want to reaffirm the political will and existing resources of the local community. We'd also like to present as many facts as possible in a non-partisan environment.

County Manager John Maltbie will be there to provide some of these facts, as well as any information on contingency plans in the case of potential policy shifts in the areas of health care, immigration, the environment, and public safety. 

This event is open to the community and free forThrive members. Not a member? We encourage you to join now to attend this very informative convening. 

FEATURING

Bart Charlow, CEO, Samaritan House 

Bart Charlow is a seasoned CEO, who manages non-profit, health care and human services organizations, and is a Licensed Family Therapist. His career spans diverse fields, including business administration, education, research, audio-visual media and information technology.

Rose Jacobs Gibson, CEO/President, Hagar Services Coalition, Inc. 

Rose Jacobs Gibson served from 1999 to 2012 on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, representing the 4th district, which includes the communities of Redwood City, Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and unincorporated North Fair Oaks and Oak Knoll. During her board service, she initiated Shared Vision, the county’s long-term strategic planning process, and was co-chair of the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust of San Mateo County (HEART), a public-private partnership to create a funding mechanism to build new, permanently affordable housing. During her tenure, her priorities were affordable housing, strategies to reduce health inequities in San Mateo County and social justice, juvenile and criminal justice issues. Her desire to improve the quality of life for all residents motivated her to find solutions to problems and develop innovative, proactive approaches to build a stronger, more vibrant San Mateo County.

John Maltbie, County Manager, San Mateo County  

As County Manager, John L. Maltbie oversees the efficient running of San Mateo County's government and carries out the policies set by the Board of Supervisors.

John has more than 30 years of experience in local government. He has served as City Manager of Milpitas, Calif., and Glendale, Ariz., as well as Assistant County Executive of Santa Clara County and County Manager of San Mateo County. He served as County Manager from 1989 to 2008 and came out of retirement in 2011 to again serve as County Manager.

Rita Mancera, Executive Director, Puente  

Rita joined Puente in 2006 to work with home visiting families with children and to talk with parents about early childhood development. For four years she served as Puente's Program Director, overseeing a diversity of programs from immigration to physical activity to education and youth leadership. She served as Puente's Deputy Executive Director before taking over as Executive Director in 2015. 

Bill Somerville, Founder, Philanthropic Ventures Foundation  

Bill brings 50 years of experience in nonprofit work, including 17 years as Executive Director of the Peninsula Community Foundation. Bill is nationally recognized as an expert on creative grantmaking. He has consulted at over 400 community foundations in the United States, Canada and abroad on effective operations and grantmaking. Bill has taught courses on philanthropy at Stanford University, UC Berkeley's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and Laney Community College, in Oakland, CA.

WELCOMING REMARKS

Warren Slocum, Board of Supervisors, San Mateo County

San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum was elected to the Board in November 2012, representing the 4th Supervisorial District, which includes Redwood City, East Palo Alto, east Menlo Park and North Fair Oaks. 

With a passion for public service and an entrepreneurial spirit, Warren's life has been spent in service to others. Some of Warren's top priorities are to improve the county's transportation system, increase the housing supply in our county, support our veterans, invest Measure K dollars in infrastructure and programs, advancing the county's accessibility, transparency and responsiveness through the use of smart technology, and many other diverse needs in his district. 

MODERATOR

Michelle Vilchez, Executive Director, Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center  

As Executive Director of PCRC, Michelle prides herself on her non-traditional non-profit leadership model, employing a leadership team to strategize and direct the course of the agency. Under her tenure as ED, she has doubled the budget and staffing of the organization.

Throughout her 16 years at PCRC her passion for community engagement has guided her work and helped PCRC become recognized as an organization that empowers people and builds relationships. She brings to this role extensive community engagement experience, from her work helping First 5 complete its strategic plan guided by community priorities, to co-authoring PCRC’s Community Engagement Resource Guide and helping to launch a violence prevention network and the Fatherhood Collaborative in San Mateo County.