The 2012 Fellows arrive tomorrow (gulp!) and we realize that we haven’t even introduced the new staff that has joined to help them. In the whirlwind of the last couple of months, three new staff have come on, three fantastic people you’ll be hearing about as we share the story of the second Code for America fellowship with all who care to follow. So, allow me to introduce:
Bob Sofman, our new Program Director, who is responsible for the fellowship experience and outcomes, corralling the educational program, the processes and structures of the engagement with the fellows and the cities, and for supporting all the players in the fellowship. Bob has had a diverse career – from counseling adolescents early in his career to holding executive positions in both large companies and startups. During the 10 years Bob spent at ATT, he held a variety of positions, including running ATT’s International Inbound business. From ATT, Bob helped launch PacBell’s Long Distance business and from there joined his first startup AVIRNEX in a CMO role. After a successful acquisition, Bob joined PointCast where he helped direct the sale of the company and then spent 7 years as an SVP at Charles Schwab where he launched Schwab’s wireless business and led the eBusiness Group. He holds a BS in Psychology and two Masters Degrees (Counseling and Computer Science), as well as being certified in change and culture management. Bob is a single father of a 6 year-old son, lives in San Francisco, and sits on several non-profit and advisory boards.
Sheila Bapat, who, as Donor Relations Manager, works with the many individuals and institutions who support our work. Sheila has woven civic engagement and women’s political equality into her life and career ever since she served as a Kids Voting USA representative at the age of 15. More recently, she worked to launch The 2012 Project, a nonpartisan national campaign to encourage women in technology, science, and related fields to pursue public service. An attorney by training, Sheila practiced employment litigation briefly in San Francisco before entering the nonprofit sector. During law school at the University of Pennsylvania, Sheila served as president of the national board of Law Students for Reproductive Justice. She currently serves on the board of ACCESS Women’s Health Justice, an Oakland-based nonprofit that connects underserved women to reproductive health providers.
Michael Santus, our wonderful new Office Manager, joined Code for America just last month. Originally from Philadelphia, he moved west in 1995. He obtained extensive skills and experience in the financial planning industry, he has spent the past five+ years as the Sales Operations Manager for a local Bay Area classic and exotic car dealer. He is a Mercedes Benz lover and an avid traveler whose motto is “Have luggage will travel.”
If you follow our blog, you may already have met Jack Madans, who came to us as an intern, stayed on to coordinate our first Code for America Summit, and gave you popular blog posts such as What’s in Our Inboxes and the heartwarming In Our Own Words. Before coming to CfA, Jack cut his teeth as a community organizer early, founding FoodCycle and the Good Internet Conference, and then went on to intern at the White House, assisting with policy production in the the Office of Urban Affairs. Jack is now full-time with Code for America, supporting the development of the CfA Brigade and personally supporting me and the team by wrangling my schedule.
We’ve got a pretty crack team here, which is good since we’re swinging wide this year. A belated public welcome to Michael, Sheila, Bob, and Jack!
Have a great first day buddy!