Ash McNeely
Ash McNeely is executive director of the Sand Hill Foundation, a family foundation in Menlo Park, California, that focuses on regional efforts to protect the environment and help families break the cycle of poverty. Ash is also a senior officer in the philanthropic services team at The Pew Charitable Trusts. She serves as Pew’s West Coast liaison for individuals, families and foundations wishing to leverage and amplify their philanthropy through partnerships with Pew, with special emphasis on environmental conservation and economic policy.
Immediately prior, Ash was vice president of donor engagement at Silicon Valley Community Foundation, managing grantmaking for 1,200 donor advised funds, supporting organizations and scholarships. At Peninsula Community Foundation, she led the strategy and execution of advised fund grantmaking, business development and communications for seven years. Ash also worked for a decade in Bay Area performing arts organizations in marketing and development capacities, including TheatreWorks, the California Shakespeare Festival and the Center for the Arts at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens. She has spoken at numerous national forums such as the Council on Foundations’ Family Foundation Conference, Council on Foundations’ Community Foundation Conference, the Institute for Private Investors, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, the Junior League, and Credit Suisse Private Wealth Management Conference. She has been a visiting lecturer at Stanford University, Harvard Business School and Colorado College.
Ash sits on the boards of Open Square Foundation and Opportunity Fund, and is an active volunteer with Horizons Foundation, Crystal Springs Uplands School, Vassar College and TheatreWorks. She received an M.B.A. in nonprofit management from Golden Gate University and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Vassar with a bachelor’s in English and women’s studies. She lives in Burlingame with her longtime partner, Elisa Odabashian, and their two teenage children.
Who We Are
Board of Directors
Susan Ford Dorsey,
President
Susan Lockwood,
Vice President
Laura Arrillaga-
Andreessen,
Andreessen,Treasurer
Executive Director
Ash McNeely
Banner photography by Terry Lorant
Sand Hill Foundation 3000 Sand Hill Road, 1-120 Menlo Park, CA 94025 Tel: 650.854.9310
