Meet the Staff
Executive Director
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Mara Low brings two decades of philanthropic experience to her role as Executive Director. Most recently, Mara was Program Director at Sobrato Philanthropies. During her tenure, she supported the organization’s evolution during exponential growth and advanced the organization’s grantmaking, governance, and communications. In addition, she developed the foundation’s capacity-building initiatives and led the Sobrato Center for Nonprofits. She also served as the Grants Administrator for The Valley Foundation. Prior to her career in philanthropy, Mara was the Co-Founder of Adage School of Performing Arts, a pre-professional dance conservatory and company. In her spare time, Mara can be found enjoying the running trails of the Bay Area, reading, and spending time with her busy family. Mara is a San José native and graduate of the East Side Union School District. She holds a BA in English from UC Berkeley.
Grants Manager
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Jynessa joined the Shortino Foundation in December 2021. She has a background in supporting nonprofits that focus on advancing youth through education. With a degree in History and an initial goal to become a teacher, Jynessa’s experience working with the Boys and Girls Club revealed that meaningful impact could happen beyond the classroom. She is an advocate for equitable educational opportunities for all, regardless of any circumstances. In her free time, Jynessa is either on the go with her siblings, unwinding with a good book, or baking a loaf of bread.
Meet the Board
Chairperson
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Buu Thai grew up and lived in the City of San José for 42 years. She and her family migrated to the United States as refugees from Vietnam in 1978 and resettled in Naples, Florida for two years. Buu has been a product of public education and attended elementary and middle school in Franklin-McKinley School District, graduated from East Side Union High School and earned a Master's degree in Social Work and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from San José State University. As a former school board member with the Franklin-McKinley School District, she advocated for the first place-based State-of-Art early learning center, EduCare in the Santee Neighborhood of San José. In December 2024, she was sworn in as a Governing Board Member with the San José-Evergreen Community College District to continue impacting education policy for all students in San José.
Treasurer
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David has been volunteering in the community since 1989. He has served or led the boards of Curtain Raisers, The San José Repertory Theatre, The VMC Foundation, The Silicon Valley Charity Ball, The Board of Trustees of Temple Emanu-El, and The Willow Glen High School Foundation. He has been a member of the Shortino Foundation for the last 14 years, serving as its treasurer. In his professional life he is a wealth manager with Morgan Stanley. In his spare time he enjoys road biking, running and cooking. He and his wife live in Willow Glen and they have two adult children.
Board Member
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Linda's career and service to the community has been entirely in the Educational sphere. From teacher to Superintendent of Schools in San José Unified School District, Linda have been dedicated to providing a quality education for all students. As a board member of the Shortino Foundation for well over a decade, Linda is honored to support organizations in the community which are helping meet the educational needs of the most vulnerable students.
Board Member
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Frank joined the board in January of 2008. Frank is a practicing CPA. His specialty is in individual, partnership and corporate tax. Frank enjoys his time on the board, especially in that it empowers young people to advance themselves through education. Frank feels that education is the key to making our world a better place for all. Frank is an enthusiastic support of all local professional sports teams. He also enjoys summit hiking, skiing and Lake Tahoe.
Vice-Chair
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Maria Garcia is a seasoned non-profit professional with deep expertise in communication, community relations, fundraising, and philanthropy. Currently, she serves as the Director of Grantmaking at The Health Trust, a local health foundation. In this role, Maria oversees the strategic planning and management of the organization’s grantmaking initiatives. Dedicated to civic engagement, Maria has served as a Board Member for the Latino Leadership Alliance, Chair of the Hispanic Foundation’s La Familia Committee, and Commissioner for the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women. Additionally, she has represented her Congressional District as a National Delegate and served as a State Delegate for four years. Maria holds a B.A. in Communication from Santa Clara University and an M.A. in Speech Communication from San José State University.
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Ricardo Benavidez is a seasoned professional with 20+ years of corporate experience, and the business acumen and social awareness to work effectively across private and public sectors. He has earned business degrees from Santa Clara University and Saint Mary’s College of California. The bulk of Ricardo's career has focused on corporate social responsibility, and his latest role with Google involves shepherding real estate projects through the community relations and inclusive development process. Ricardo has been recognized as a business and community leader by organizations such as Silicon Valley Business Journal – 40 under 40, and U.S. House of Representatives – Outstanding and Invaluable Service to the Community.
Secretary
Board Member
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Christine's greatest achievement as a community leader was her 24-year role as CEO of InnVision the Way Home, which became the county's largest provider of emergency/transitional housing and multi-service centers serving thousands of unhoused people each year. She led all the fundraising activities, collaboration efforts, program services, and board development. She has served on the board of the Shortino Foundation since 2007. She is a Realtor, writer, singer, dancer, and overall lover of the Arts. She also served on the Children’s Musical Theater Board for 17 years and as a Rotarian/Foundation trustee for 21 years. Another passion is interior design, which she utilized at the many sites InnVision built or renovated.
Board Member
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Miguel M. Salinas is a program officer at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. He supports grantmaking for the Foundation’s work to ensure that California communities are where people create enduring solutions to the complex challenges of stable housing, healthy environments, and improved maternal and child health. Miguel brings extensive nonprofit, corporate philanthropy, and communications experience to the Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Miguel worked for nearly a decade at Adobe where he served as program director for the Adobe Foundation, and senior manager of Global Giving at Adobe. He has also worked as a grants manager and communications strategist at Intel Corporation. Before entering the corporate sector, Miguel spent a decade in the local nonprofit sector working at various organizations such as the San José Downtown Association, The Tech Museum of Innovation, and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. He began his career as a journalist and has worked at various news outlets in Texas and California covering crime, education, and government. Miguel has a Bachelor of Journalism degree from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Liberal Arts degree from Stanford University. He is an active member in the San José/Silicon Valley community where he lives, supporting education and arts and culture organizations. He has served on the boards of the School of Arts & Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza, Teatro Visión, Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA), the Hispanic Foundation Silicon Valley, and Downtown College Prep.
Board Member
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Gary joined the Shortino Board of Directors in 2009. Since then he has found it to be a great learning experience working with so many wonderful and dedicated partners who support the needs of the youth of the community.
Board Member
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Bob joined the board in early 2024. Through his consulting company, Silicon Valley Synergy, he provides expertise in economic development, government relations, municipal consulting and real estate development. He believes that building consensus achieves positive results. His hobbies include landscape photography and home improvement projects.