Our History

If you are like many people, you have independently given time and money to worthy charities over the years. In June 2016, a group of Bay Area women was presented an opportunity to do more. The impetus came from Nancy Clark, a Danville businesswoman and Board member of a Sonoma County non-profit. While reviewing that organization’s financials, she noticed a very generous grant from a new donor, Impact100 Sonoma.

Curious, Nancy learned more about Impact100’s all-volunteer, women-led philanthropic model. Inspired by the concept of creating a greater impact by pooling donations, she was amazed to find that no such organization existed in her area. So, she invited a small group of friends to hear from the women of Impact100 Sonoma. Afterward, she asked, “Are you interested in starting something similar here?” The response was an immediate “Yes!” Energized, the women got busy and Impact100 East Bay was born.

In September 2017, Impact100 East Bay proudly awarded its first grant. Five years later, our membership had grown sufficiently enough that we were able to award two grants for the first time. The equation is simple: the more members we have, the greater our ability to provide multiple grants that will assist those in need.

Immense unmet needs continue to challenge so many in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Through the process of vetting grant applications, the women of Impact100 East Bay have come to know many local nonprofits that heroically serve others in our communities. Their contributions motivate us to do even more.

For more information about how Impact100 started, see our global story.

The Impact100 Model

The Impact100 model is readily available to all communities who wish to implement it. The model is designed to empower women to see themselves as philanthropists and to support transformational grant-making within their local communities, with a minimum grant of $100,000.

The model is simple.
More Members = More Grant Funds = More Impact

At Least 100 Women
Come Together

Each Woman
Donates $1,000

$100,000
is donated to a
Local Charity

Focus Areas

We provide nonprofit organizations with grants across five broad Focus Areas:

Arts & Culture

Education

Lisa Coelho - Making a Difference in the Environment

Environment, Recreation & Preservation

Family

Health & Wellness

How it Works

Impact100 East Bay members donate $1,000 annually. These donations are pooled and are subsequently awarded to qualifying nonprofit organizations in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Although the number and size of the grants we offer depends on our membership, our goal is to give incremental grants of $100,000 each year to support high-impact, transformational and sustainable projects.

Volunteer members serving on the Grant Committee thoroughly review grant applications. After a rigorous selection process, grants are awarded, based on the vote of the Impact100 East Bay membership, at the annual Grant Award Celebration. Every active member has one vote.

Grant recipients continue to partner with us throughout the duration of the grant. Their projects are monitored to ensure that desired outcomes are met. Through this process, our members have the confidence that their donations are used as intended and are making an impact.

Jane Durkin
President
Jane Durkin
President

Jane is a retired Chevron Corporation Executive.  Jane had key leadership positions in Chevron’s Health, Environment and Safety (HES) Function globally.  She managed organizations through the entire energy supply chain.    Her last position was managing the internal Corporate HES Audit program for all Chevron Operations worldwide.  She has proven ability and enjoys leading organizations with people from very diverse backgrounds and life experiences.

Jane has a BS in Civil/Environmental Engineer from University of Illinois.  She is a former board member of the East Bay Regional Parks Foundation and currently serves on the Impact 100 East Bay Board as Co-Chair for the Grant Committee.  Jane actively volunteers her time and resources for her passionate causes about including:  food insecurity (Contra Costa & Solano County Food Bank and church based “Muffin People”);  supporting girls in STEM (National Academy of Engineering, Girl Scouts and University of Illinois); and Get out the Vote Campaigns.

“The IMPACT of collective giving is inspiring, improving the lives of people in OUR community is why I Volunteer at Impact 100 East Bay.”

Wende Amerie
Vice President
Wende Amerie
Vice President

Wende is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Corporate Edge, Inc., an executive leadership coaching and consulting firm – dedicated to ensuring the retention and success of companies, and their most critical senior-level leaders. It is her mission to help leaders ascend to their highest potential, and she works collaboratively to find creative and custom solutions to their biggest business challenges.

Wende’s wholehearted belief in the value of leadership development extends to herself. She has an MBA from Golden Gate University, a Paralegal Certificate from Saint Mary’s College, has completed Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation and Leadership, and is a Certified Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP Institute of California). She is in the process of completing the Leadership & Performance Coach Certification program at Brown University. In addition to serving as the Board Vice-President for Impact 100 East Bay, Wende serves as a Board Member for the Sandra J. Wing Healing Therapies Foundation as well as the Golden Gate University Alumni Association Board of Directors. She is a mentor at WOMEN Unlimited, Inc.

“I believe that when women come together, they empower one another; and when they empower one another, they have the collective power to change the world.”

Sylvia Inchausti
Secretary
Sylvia Inchausti
Secretary

Sylvia is a retired Chevron Supply Chain Management senior leader, with broad international experience in the USA and in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South America and West Africa. Upon graduation from Baylor University in Texas with a Bachelor’s in Business, she headed west to California, the start of a 34-year career with Chevron. Highlights from her career include leadership roles among the first teams tasked with operations start-ups in Kazakhstan, immediately following the country’s independence from the former Soviet Union, as well as in Thailand and Angola.

Career focus for Sylvia always included enjoying the people you work with and learning about and supporting the communities where you live. As the proud mother of a transgender son, Sylvia is passionate about making the world a better place for all members of the LGBTQ community and currently serves as a Steering Committee Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Human Rights Campaign. In retirement, Sylvia has taken on a leadership role with Impact100 East Bay, which provides friendship and collective giving with like-minded, philanthropic women addressing the unmet needs of nonprofits in Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

“I’m proud to be part of a growing organization that has so far, collectively contributed sustainable support totaling $500,000 to six local non-profits, in the areas of mental health services for foster and homeless youth; literacy, college and life skills training for at-risk youth and women; and entrepreneurial capacities of under-served individuals.”

Denise Coyne
Grants Co-Chair
Denise Coyne
Grants Co-Chair

Denise is the retired CIO of Chevron’s Global Corporate Functions, an American Fortune 10 Energy Company, the second largest oil company in America. Denise is a seasoned executive who has managed all functions of Information Technology on a Global Scale. She has 33+ years’ experience supervising and coaching global employees, from entry-level gas station employees to managers in developing countries, to Chevron’s executive management. She has managed all areas of IT, including data center operations, cybersecurity, applications development and management, business partner liaison, global operations, and strategy development and deployment. In addition, she managed 200 Gas Station and Convenience Stores with top metrics. Denise has lived on both the East and West Coast of the United States, in Southeast Asia, and in Cape Town, South Africa.

Denise has an MBA from University of California, Haas Business School, and has completed Harvard University’s CTO Program. Denise has always believed in “giving back” and has used her energy for charitable purposes. She is currently serving Impact 100 East Bay’s Board and as Co-Chair of their Grant Process, on the Audit Committee of the Chevron Federal Credit Union, and on the Board and Audit Committee of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Contra Costa County. In addition, she has served on the Board of Diablo Valley Literacy Council, taught English as a 2nd language, assisted Million Women Mentors with a technology project, was Chair of the Board of the South African Pro Cantu Children’s Choir, and served both the Animal Rescue Foundation and the East Bay SPCA.

“I volunteer for Impact 100 East Bay because I believe it is important to “give back” as a member of my community.”

Riffi O’Brien
Grants Co-Chair
Riffi O’Brien
Grants Co-Chair

Riffi retired from a career in commercial banking, that is, working with family-owned businesses, ending her career as President of a small, community bank.  After banking, she was an executive recruiter for commercial bankers, had a realtor license and rehabbed houses.  Along the way, she was a CASA, active with the League of Women Voters, on the Board of Gateway Greening, and volunteered with other organizations, reflecting her strong drive to “give back”.  She received her B.S. in political science from Boston College.  She and her husband, Rick Seiter, moved to Oakland from St. Louis three years ago to be close to their grandchildren (and adult children). Except for a fun, seven-year stint in Nashville, she lived in St. Louis all her life.   Upon moving the CA, one of her first projects was to find a women’s giving group – Imact100, similar to the one she had been active with in STL.  Riffi loves cooking, spending time with friends, knitting projects that take four times as long as they should, gardening, hiking, community work, reading, traveling, and playing pickleball.  She is excited for this leadership opportunity with the Grants committee.  

 
“It is so gratifying to see the IMPACT 100 (plus) women can accomplish in our community.  We learn about the multitude of efforts people undertake to improve just about every aspect of life for people in need.” 
Debbie Vargas
Treasurer
Debbie Vargas
Treasurer

Debbie is now semi-retired, having been self-employed as a CPA for 34 years, focusing her accounting and tax practice on individuals, small businesses, and nonprofits. Earning her juris doctor in 1997, she has spent more than 20 years in business formation and dissolution, estate planning and taxation, probate, and trust administration. She is currently president of a real estate holding company, and chief financial officer of a local produce company.

Debbie attended UC Berkeley, Cal State Hayward (now CSU East Bay) and William Howard Taft University Law School. Since her teen years, Debbie has volunteered with many local charities, has served as an officer or director on several boards, giving her time and expertise to set up, or expand on, finances and internal structure, and organize fund-raising programs and events. Her experiences are as varied as the organizations she’s served: St. Rose Hospital Auxiliary, Hayward Police Activities League, Bay Area Community Services, Hayward Kiwanis, St. John’s School in San Lorenzo, Castro Valley Independent Baseball League, and Impact100 East Bay.

Franz Kafka wrote, “Anything that has real and lasting value is always a gift from within.” As a lifelong resident of Alameda County and as a founding member of Impact100 East Bay, I can share my skills, talents, and financial resources to serve the ever-growing needs in my little corner of the world.

Jialin Hu
Assistant Treasurer
Jialin Hu
Assistant Treasurer

Co-founder of Bayside Pharma, a bio-research company – dedicated to support the discovery of future drugs. Over 20 years’ experience in corporate finance ranging from managing multimillion dollar portfolios to setting up start- up companies.

Master’s degree in Linguistics and a PhD candidate in one of the top 5 linguistic programs in the county for two years. Made a mid-life career switch to finance and earned a Master of Science degree in Finance from Boston College. Volunteered for various treasurer jobs from Middle school to high school, as well as Mustang soccer team.

“After seeing what Impact 100 East Bay has done, I feel it is a good fit for me. A few years ago, my child got sick. I felt so hopeless and helpless. It is the help of my friends, especially my girlfriends, got me through the tough time. One of my best girlfriends introduced me to Impact 100, through which I can give back and help other people in need. Together, we can make a change to our local community!”

Claudia Polidori
Governance Chair
Claudia Polidori
Governance Chair

Claudia is a retired executive with Finance, Systems and Global HR experience. She utilizes these diverse skills to volunteer with local nonprofits and to assist with coaching high school tennis. Claudia enjoys mentoring and developing future leaders. She has an MBA from Golden Gate University and a BS in Finance/Economics from UCSB.

“I volunteer at Impact100 East Bay because, “Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more” – Anthony Robbins

Stephanie Shaw
Membership Chair
Stephanie Shaw
Membership Chair

Stephanie is a retired executive in the Information Technology services market. She held numerous positions from Client management, Sales Leadership in local, national and worldwide roles. She worked collaboratively with clients to understand the client’s long-term strategic direction and then developed solutions using IT enabling services to achieve their goals. She also participated in mentoring programs, personally mentoring numerous women in business.

Stephanie’s focus is on prioritizing and balancing family, community and women connecting to support each other is at the center of her pre- and post-retirement. She and her daughter were part of a mother/daughter non-profit national organization, National Charity League focused on leadership, community service and cultural awareness. And she has held numerous board positions since 2008 with Loaves & Fishes, NCL, Inc and Impact100 East Bay. She enjoys spending time with her husband, three grown children and her granddaughter in both the Bay Area and Phoenix, AZ.

“Connect with a diverse set of philanthropic women with big hearts who want to give back to our communities and make a difference! I found that and much more!”

Stacey Stevens
IT Chair
Stacey Stevens
IT Chair

Stacey wakes up every day inspired to empower others so that our world may be filled with passion-driven people who pursue excellence in everything they do. In pursuit of this goal Stacey’s career has encompassed myriad functions with top organizations across multiple industries. Currently she’s serving as Associate Director, Admissions for the BerkeleyHaas MBA Programs for Working Professionals after a decade working with the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Previously she built the Customer Success and Customer Analytics functions at several Internet 1.0 and 2.0 startups, navigating through the treacherous waves of the early Internet. She began her career in consulting – first in technology at Andersen Consulting, where she developed large scale systems in COBOL and later in Strategy Consulting with Booz-Allen, focusing on consumer and technology products.

Stacey’s passion for empowering others extends to her community as well. She’s been an active volunteer in the community, with leadership roles in Scouting, PTA, and Robotics teams. In addition to her role as the Membership Co-Chair for Impact100 East Bay, she’s currently serving as an Advisor at the UC Berkeley chapter of Chi Omega Sorority. Beyond her formal roles, she is an active mentor to students and young adults in the community. Stacey has an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” We have a long way to go, so we need the power that comes from the women committed to making history. That’s the only way we’ll get there. Change Lives, Change Organizations, Change the World. That’s what we do. Together!”

Connie Driscoll
Big 3 Events Co-Chair
Connie Driscoll
Big 3 Events Co-Chair

Connie worked for Chevron for 35 years in various IT management roles. She retired in 2015, shortly after returning from working and living as an expat in Angola for 5 years. Post retirement, Connie is active doing water aerobics, playing bridge, visiting family in Montana & Oregon and traveling.

Connie graduated from University of Oregon with a BS in French. Her most rewarding experience while living in Angola was administering polio vaccinations to young children. She has been a member of Impact100 East Bay since 2018, working on the Grant Committee in 2019-2021, and as Big 3 Events Co-Chair 2020-2021.

“Working on the Grants Committee gives me insight into the extraordinary needs in our community and a sense of pride when we choose our grantees that will positively impact the lives of those in need.”

Pat Adams
Big 3 Events Co-Chair
Pat Adams
Big 3 Events Co-Chair
Impact100 East Bay member since 2017.
Founding member and first President  of a City of Hope Chapter in the greater Los Angeles area in the 1980’s.
In the early 1990’s retired as an independent contract auditor for Transamerica.
Favorite retirement activities include playing tennis, skiing, spending time with friends and family, and especially playing with my 4 grandkids.
BS from the College of St. Catherine in St.Paul, Minnesota.  MBA from Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, California.
Alexis Bonn
Marketing and Communications Chair
Alexis Bonn
Marketing and Communications Chair

Alexis Bonn is the Director of Development at Opportunity Junction, a local nonprofit helping individuals gain financial security through launching careers primarily in healthcare and administration. She loves being in mission-driven work and wearing many hats from fundraising to marketing and communications. Alexis also utilizes her creative background in her side-business, AB Marketing & Creative, where she provides consulting services in marketing and communications.

As a four-year collegiate athlete and student worker, Alexis graduated from Azusa Pacific University where she earned her Masters in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Marketing, and her Bachelors Degree in Psychology. Constantly eager to learn something new, she recently completed the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy’s Fundraising Academy as cohort representative.

Alexis has a passion for making a difference in her workplace, her home, and around the world – always striving to leave things better than she found them.

“I am honored to be a part of this group of women who share a passion for making a difference. We are turning our passions into actions. Collectively, we are making an impact in our communities.”

Carol Nitz
Board Member Emeritus
Carol Nitz
Board Member Emeritus

Carol retired as an General Manager from Chevron in 2014 after 31 years working with the various business lines and the IT Function. During her career within this large global organization, she developed expertise in large scale project leadership, change leadership, people leadership & development, team building, coaching, and strategy development and execution. She enjoyed traveling to far flung corners of the world with Chevron and having the opportunity to meet and lead people in a variety of countries. That experience provided invaluable lessons in the vast diversity of cultures and beliefs around the world, and at the same time demonstrated that at the end of the day, as humans, we are more similar than different from one another.

Carol earned a BS in Business/Information Systems from Cal State East Bay in 1983 and joined Chevron at that time. Prior to pursuing this degree and a change in career, Carol spent a decade working as a nurse & office manager for dermatologists in private practice.

She has found it exciting to apply the skills and experience from her professional life to the leadership of Impact100 East Bay. As a founding member of the organization, Carol served as Vice President from 2016 through 2019 and since 2020 as President. Carol has enjoyed engaging with the many talented women who are members of our chapter, working with our exceptional Board members, and learning more about the serious issues facing the East Bay and how our nonprofit heroes are addressing them.

Carol’s only child is expecting her first baby and she looks forward with great delight to adding Nana to her bio!

Carol wholeheartedly supports the adage that “volunteering and giving back are Chicken Soup for the Soul”. It is a profound honor to partner with East Bay nonprofits who heroically serve those in need in our communities, day in and day out.

Nancy Clark
Founder and Board Member Emeritus
Nancy Clark
Founder and Board Member Emeritus

Nancy is President/CEO of Leadership Dynamics, Inc., a premiere global management consulting and training firm specializing in leadership development, strategic planning, organizational change management, team performance improvement/acceleration, and executive coaching. We are industry specialists and former “Big 8” consultants who are committed to leveraging our expertise for the benefit of our clients. Nancy’s mission is to help organizations to become great places to do great work.

Having grown up in a family business, she graduated from UC Davis and then completed her MBA at Santa Clara University. After many years at Arthur Andersen working with global and local clients, she launched her own consulting practice in 1998.
As Board President of the On the Move a non-profit based in Napa, she discovered a group called Impact 100 Sonoma. Enticed by the good work they did, she decided to start Impact 100 East Bay; after serving as President for the first several years, she now is Board Member Emeritus. She is also Co-Chair of the Oakland Zoo which was started by her great grandfather and grandfather in 1922.

Nancy believes that “we aren’t here for a long time, but we should strive to have a good time and to do good with the time we have.”

Impact100 East Bay Magazine

Financial Reports
Financial Report

Financials from 2016 through 2021.

IRS 501C

Letter from IRS confirming 501C tax exempt status for Impact100 East Bay .

IRS Form 990

Pending:  Year End IRS Form 990 filing

Bylaws

Impact100 East Bay Bylaws

Revised August 2023