REDF | Our Publications | People Matter(s)

Thousands of lives have been changed through REDF’s work:

Over 2,000 formerly homeless and low income individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area have been employed by REDF Portfolio enterprises since we were founded in 1997
80% of enterprise employees are still employed after two years
People are stabilizing their lives, staying out of jail, tripling their incomes, and reducing their reliance on public benefits
Almost 100 MBA students and graduates have found meaningful work in REDF Portfolio enterprises

It may seem strange at first to talk about changing the lives of formerly homeless and low income individuals and changing the lives of MBAs in the same sentence, but at REDF they are often interconnected. This is definitely true in the case of Juma Ventures’ new Executive Director.

Juma Ventures — A Decade of Success
For the past ten years, Juma has been a leader in the field through its innovative work in youth development and social enterprise. Since Juma’s founding in 1993, and under the capable leadership of its founding CEO Diane Flannery, Juma has successfully

Started up six social enterprises in the San Francisco Bay Area
Employed and supported over 1,500 youth from disadvantaged backgrounds
Demonstrated the power of big dreams through small business in transforming the lives of at-risk youth

In January 2003, Jim Schorr became the new Executive Director of Juma Ventures. Jim joined Juma in 2000 as the director of Juma’s enterprise center, having come from the private sector after earning his MBA from Kellogg Business School. As Jim says, “I wanted to use my background and skills in business to serve the community and people who lacked access to the kinds of opportunities I have had. The social enterprise sector and Juma Ventures have provided the perfect venue for realizing this alignment of business and service — simply put, this is the most meaningful work I’ve ever done.”

We at REDF look forward to partnering with Jim and Juma Ventures as they enter their second decade of success. For more detailed information about Juma’s accomplishments and ten years of history, we recommend you read Changing Lives, Changing Times.

A Greeting from George Roberts, Founder, The Roberts Foundation
As Melinda said earlier, our work at REDF is all about investing in people. REDF has always had a strong team of individuals who have been critical to our success. I am pleased to announce several upcoming additions and changes to our staff at REDF this summer.

Kristen Ace Burns, Associate Director of REDF, will be promoted to Managing Director as of August 1, 2003. Kristen first joined REDF in 2001 as a Farber Fellow and was quickly promoted to Enterprise Development Manager and then to Associate Director this past January. Prior to joining REDF, Kristen worked as a management consultant at Mercer Management Consulting, and as a program manager for a family foundation. We are thrilled to have someone who knows the REDF Portfolio well, and who has demonstrated her management skills, lead REDF into the future.

Christine Kawakami, REDF’s Farber Intern from summer 2002, will be joining REDF’s staff as Enterprise Development Manager in July. Christine has just graduated from Stanford Business School and comes to us from Mercer Management Consulting. We look forward to introducing you to Christine in the coming months.

What’s Happening with Melinda?
Melinda Tuan, Co-Founding Director of REDF, is moving to Philadelphia in August where her husband Pete will join the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania medical school. As many of you know, Melinda has been an integral part of REDF’s growth and development since 1997. We are grateful for Melinda’s skilled leadership, her passion for working with the portfolio enterprises and employees, and the strong foundation she has helped build at REDF.

While Melinda is leaving San Francisco, she will happily not be leaving REDF. We are delighted that Melinda will remain with REDF full-time (albeit at a distance) as Director of Strategic Projects to assist REDF through the leadership transition and participate in new opportunities to expand our work into the future.

A Last Message from Melinda
As many of you know, I have loved every day of my work here at REDF for the past seven years. It is hard to say goodbye to my colleagues in the Bay Area and I will miss the daily interactions with the REDF Portfolio enterprises and employees. I have been tremendously blessed by the investment George and Leanne Roberts, the REDF Portfolio members, REDF staff, and many of you have made in me. I am an MBA whose life has been transformed through REDF in positive, lasting ways, and for this I am forever grateful.

In closing, I hope you will join all of us at REDF in sending your thoughts and prayers to George Roberts and his children as they mourn the loss of Leanne B. Roberts, co-founder of The Roberts Foundation, who passed away this past May. Leanne was an incredibly gifted and generous person who will be missed by us all.