About Us

Ann Shulman, President
ann@philanthropyassociates.org
Ann Shulman is a facilitator, mediator and trainer with twenty years of organizational development experience. Ann uses her expertise in facilitation, conflict resolution and intra-organizational communications to help foundations and non-profits deal with internal design and operational challenges - from planning and operation of meetings and retreats, to dealing with staff reductions and interpersonal conflicts on the Board of directors.

Ann has extensive experience in leadership curriculum design and delivery, having trained the leadership and staff of organizations ranging from Fortune 100 and 500 companies to top-ten foundations to academic institutions to small family foundations and local community groups; she also serves as a professional executive coach as well as an organizational effectiveness consultant. Ann brings an international perspective, having worked in over a dozen countries. She is the former President of the Northern California Mediation Association, spent four years as the Executive Director of the Greater Good Science Center at U.C. Berkeley, is on the Board of Directors of the West Marin Fund, directs her own family’s charitable fund, and has served on the board or as board chair of many nonprofit organizations.

Ann earned her B.S. in Psychology from Duke University, her J.D. from U.C. Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, and her LL.M. in International Law from the European University Institute. She is currently on the faculty of the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco where she teaches courses on facilitation.

 

Stephen Colwell, Executive Director
stephen@philanthropyassociates.org

Steve Colwell has over twenty-five years experience as a philanthropic and non-profit leader, advocate and advisor. As as a grant-maker, he has been directly responsible for distributing more than $400 million in philanthropic funding. As “serial social entrepreneur,” Steve helped create and served as the founding Executive Director of the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), the Ocean Foundation and the Sea Change Foundation. In these roles he worked on a variety of challenging social and environmental issues including coral reef conservation, community development, organizational capacity building, ocean health and fisheries management, media relations and strategic communications, climate change and clean energy development. He has also had the privilege of advising philanthropic entities ranging from small donor advised funds and charitable trusts, to major charitable institutions such as the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. As a non-profit consultant, Steve has helped environmental organizations in more than a dozen countries design, implement and evaluate their programs and improve organizational effectiveness. As a volunteer, he has served as a Board member and fundraiser for a number of nonprofits.

Steve’s dedication, vision and ingenuity have been recognized with awards including a Gerbode Foundation Fellowship, a Stanford University Sloan Fellowship in Non-Profit Management, and the Robert Rodale Environment Award. In addition, he was profiled in the PBS show “The Visionaries” that honors innovative non-profit leaders.

Steve has a Master’s degree in Management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, a law degree from U.C. Berkeley, a Master’s in Education from The George Washington University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University where he graduated as a Woodrow Wilson Scholar.

 

Tina Valentine, Associate

Tina Valentine brings to Philanthropy Associates twenty-five years experience in special events planning, production and management in both corporate and non-profit settings. Her work has encompassed fundraising galas, award ceremonies, travel destination management, hospitality services, community open houses, trade shows and conferences.

Tina understands that each client’s needs are unique, and she is committed to creating successful, enjoyable and productive events for both client and attendees. Her particular skills lie in stage/program management; program flow and script development; and coordinating with presenters, entertainment, and audio-visual vendors to ensure a smooth-running, dynamic program.

Tina is currently a board member and volunteer of Syzygy Dance Project, a non-profit organization that brings the transformative power of dance and movement to jails, veteran’s hospitals, addiction recovery centers, the elderly, hospitals, and at-risk youth. She graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in German, and holds a certificate in Sound, Voice & Music Healing from the California Institute of Integral Studies.