FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 18, 2017

Contact:

Vaishalee Raja

Senior Communications Officer

213-283-2007
vraja@irvine.org

The James Irvine Foundation announced today that Goodwin Liu, an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, and Ms. Sara Recktenwald, former regional head of the Securities Division for Goldman Sachs, have joined The James Irvine Foundation Board of Directors. They join the board at a pivotal time for the Foundation, which began grantmaking in 2016 to expand economic and political opportunity for working Californians who are struggling with poverty.

“We are delighted to welcome Goodwin and Sara to our Board,” said Don Howard, President and CEO of the Irvine Foundation. “They each bring enormous and relevant expertise, unparalleled leadership, and fresh perspectives that will benefit our work.”

Governor Brown appointed Justice Liu to the bench in 2011. Before joining the court, Justice Liu was Professor of Law and former Associate Dean at the UC Berkeley School of Law. Previously, he worked as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, where he developed and coordinated K-12 education policy. He serves on the governing board of the American Law Institute, and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Science, Technology, and Law. He has also served on the Stanford University Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of the National Women’s Law Center.

“I am thrilled to join an organization dedicated to promoting the values and vision of the people of California, and I look forward to contributing to the Foundation’s important and urgent mission to expand opportunity for hardworking Californians who are struggling economically,” Justice Liu said.

Ms. Recktenwald has exceptional expertise in finance and will serve on the board’s Investment Committee. Recently retired from Goldman Sachs, Ms. Recktenwald also serves on the Leadership Council for the Tipping Point Community, bringing experience from their work to support evidence-based solutions to poverty.

“I am honored to join Irvine’s board, particularly at a time when the Foundation’s mission to expand economic and political opportunity is more important than ever,” said Ms. Recktenwald.

Both Justice Liu and Ms. Recktenwald will serve a four-year term, with the opportunity for extending those terms. The Irvine Foundation is governed by an independent Board of Directors, which is responsible for ensuring that the Foundation manages its finances, operations, and grantmaking programs to advance its mission and goals.

Learn more about Justice Liu and Ms. Recktenwald here.

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About The James Irvine Foundation

The James Irvine Foundation is a private, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California. The Foundation’s grantmaking focuses on expanding economic and political opportunity for families and young adults who are working but struggling with poverty. Since 1937 the Foundation has provided over $1.6 billion in grants to more than 3,600 nonprofit organizations throughout California. With about $2 billion in assets, the Foundation will make grants of $90 million in 2017. For more information, please visit our website: www.irvine.org.