Chief Executive Officer & President

  • Cynthia J. Brandt, PhD

    Chief Executive Officer & President

    (650) 498-4310

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    Cynthia Brandt joined the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health as president and CEO in 2018.  With the outstanding team at the Foundation, she’s unlocking philanthropy to improve health outcomes for all kids and their families in the Bay Area and beyond and ensure equitable access to excellent care for children with special health care needs.   

    Her leadership has lifted the sights of the Foundation’s philanthropic community and increased donor support for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and pediatric and maternal health programs at Stanford University School of Medicine.  She led the organization to its best fundraising year in the history of the Foundation, raising $293 million.  And, she aspires to have even greater impact!  

    For more than 20 years, Cynthia contributed to important missions and great teams in key positions in fundraising and communications.  She was campaign director for the Smithsonian Institution, vice president for advancement at Mills College, and associate dean for external relations at Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences.  At the Smithsonian, she led the public phase of the institution’s first-ever comprehensive campaign, which raised $1.88 billion, surpassing its goal 16 months early.  It was the most ambitious fundraising campaign by a cultural institution to date.   

    Cynthia is grateful and motivated to give back because the generosity of others allowed her to pursue a PhD and MA in sociology at Stanford, and a BA in English and fine arts at Vanderbilt University.  She is inspired by the potential for science to heal humanity and the planet.    

    Originally from St. Louis, Cynthia now resides in Portola Valley with her family and pets.

    Executive Assistant
    Carol Mascali
    Carol.Mascali [at] lpfch.org

Foundation Leadership

  • Andrew Kaufteil

    Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications

    (650) 736-8129

    Email

    Andrew is a communications and marketing expert who guides our Foundation’s brand and engagement strategy. He leads teams specializing in content, creative services, donor communications, and events. His diverse background involves strategic innovation and change in the private and non-profit sectors and across numerous industries, including health care, tech, design, and higher education.

    Prior to joining our Foundation in 2021, Andrew was global head of brand for Wipro, a global technology services company. He also served as chief marketing officer for Cooper, a user experience design agency, and executive director of alumni relations for the University of California, San Francisco. He holds a BA in communication & media studies from Macalester College and a JD from the University of Connecticut.

    Executive Project Administrator
    Whitney Carroll
    Whitney.Carroll [at] lpfch.org

  • Carolyn Otis Catanzaro

    Vice President, Fundraising Strategy and Campaigns 

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    Carolyn Otis Catanzaro leads in key areas that drive gift revenue: overall fundraising strategy, campaign and throughline case & strategy development, and faculty partnerships.  She also serves as point person for fundraising requests from the Stanford School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. She oversees our core Campaigns team and coordinates an extended Campaigns team which includes strategic communications and development specialists focused on campaign priorities.  Carolyn joined in January 2023 from Saint Mary’s College, where she was mostly recently assistant vice president for external relations and philanthropy. Her 25-year development career includes leadership roles at the American Cancer Society, Children’s Hospital Oakland, and Mills College. Carolyn holds a BA in English from Santa Clara University and a master’s in nonprofit management from the University of San Francisco. 

  • Jeff Shilling

    Senior Vice President, Individual Giving

    (650) 498-4942

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    Jeff Shilling joined our Foundation in 2021, bringing more than 25 years of fundraising experience to our individual giving and campaign programs. In this role, he leads the major gifts, gift planning, and annual giving teams. These specialists raise gifts to support the highest priorities of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and maternal and pediatric programs at the Stanford School of Medicine.

    Previously, Jeff was chief development officer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he led its first comprehensive fundraising campaign. Under his guidance, annual philanthropy to the university doubled. He held development leadership positions in Stanford’s athletic department and the Graduate School of Business. Jeff also served as vice president of advancement at Bellarmine College Preparatory. Jeff earned a BA in marketing and an MBA from Butler University, where he also served on the advancement team.  

    Executive Project Administrator
    India Medaris
    India.Medaris [at] lpfch.org

  • Jim Deasy

    Vice President, Strategy & Institutional Giving

    (650) 723-0744

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    Jim Deasy leads our institutional giving team, which focuses on raising corporate and foundation support to advance programs at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and the Stanford School of Medicine. He’s also involved in organization-wide gift strategy and operations, working closely with partners at Packard Children’s Hospital and the School of Medicine to plan for, and successfully implement, complex gifts.

    Jim joined the Foundation in 2010 and has held a number of field fundraising roles, including director of corporate relations and director/senior director of major gifts. Before joining us, he worked for Columbia University and New York University in corporate and foundation fundraising roles. He earned an MBA from Columbia University and a BS from Loyola University Maryland.  

    Administrative Assistant
    Sholeh Enshayan
    Sholeh.Enshayan [at] lpfch.org

  • Kathy Coulbourn

    Chief Financial Officer

    (650) 498-2620

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    Kathy Coulbourn has served as chief financial officer since 2007, overseeing finance and investments, information technology, and advancement services, including gift administration, data and reporting, and prospect development. In this role, she is the staff professional for the audit and the investment and finance committees of the board of directors.  

    Before joining our Foundation, Kathy spent a decade in the technology sector in finance leadership roles. She began her career at KPMG, where she worked in the Los Angeles, London and San Francisco offices in Audit and Tax. She earned her BS in mathematics/applied science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and she is a certified public accountant in California.  

    Administrative Assistant
    Sholeh Enshayan
    Sholeh.Enshayan [at] lpfch.org

  • Rhonda Marion

    Chief People Officer

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    Rhonda Marion joined the Foundation to serve as our first chief people officer in January 2023. In this new role, she leads our human resources team and focuses on the employee experience, employee engagement, learning and development, and culture.  

    Her experience as a senior leader for people and culture is extensive. Rhonda most recently served as chief people officer at Opya, a provider of in-home intervention and therapy for children with autism. She was also executive vice president and chief people officer at Donor Network West and chief human resources officer at Community Health Center Network. Rhonda holds a BS in business administration from California State University-East Bay.

  • Sarah Collins

    Vice President, Principal Gifts

    (650) 736-1243

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    An expert in health care philanthropy, Sarah Collins is responsible for managing the principal gifts team as well as engaging directly with donors and faculty on gifts of exceptional impact. She has worked at our Foundation since 2000, developing her career path with the growth of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and the pediatric and obstetric programs of Stanford School of Medicine. Sarah is extremely knowledgeable about the terrain of Stanford Medicine and the interests of large donors.

    Prior to her role in Principal Gifts, Sarah spent eight years on the Major Gifts team and led the Annual Giving department. She earned a BA in human biology from Stanford University.  

  • Sarah Hernandez

    Chief of Staff and Associate Vice President for People Initiatives

    (650) 497-2422

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    Sarah works across teams at our Foundation to put its vision of unlocking philanthropy into operation, and to help achieve greater organizational excellence and efficiency. As our people leader, she strives to create an inclusive culture and nurture talent to improve outcomes. She serves as a thought partner and adviser to the president and CEO.

    Before joining our Foundation in 2020, Sarah spent over a decade in advancement at top academic institutions, guiding and contributing to engagement strategies in development and alumni relations. She worked at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley; Stanford Graduate School of Business; and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Sarah graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BA in journalism.