Peter Hero Bio

Peter Hero

Most recently, 2008-2011, Peter has been Vice President for Development and Institute Relations at the California Institute of Technology. There, among other things he fully integrated two formerly separate college functions (Development and MarComm) into one collaborative, flat, and cross-functional staff structure, now a model for smaller high-performing educational institutions.

From 1989-2007, he was President and CEO of Community Foundation Silicon Valley (CFSV). In that time he grew CFSV's total endowed assets from under $10 million to $1.2 billion, with total charitable grants exceeding $150 million annually. In 2007 he helped lead the successful merger of CFSV with a neighboring foundation, thereby creating the 3rd largest community in the country. In 1998, he created the Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2) which continues 13 years later as the region's pre-eminent venture philanthropy donor circle. In 2001, CFSV was recognized as National Foundation of the Year for its "innovations in strategic philanthropy" by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), the only community foundation ever to be so honored.

Prior to these positions Peter was President of the Maine College of Art, a private college of art and design, awarding the BFA and MFA degrees. He holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, M.A. in Art History (with Distinction, named Kress Foundation Fellow), and (Honorary) Doctor of Laws from the Maine College of Art.

n 1991 Peter was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to a 6-year term on the National Council for the Arts. In 2002 he was appointed to the National Board of Museum and Library Services by President George W. Bush. Both appointments were confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Other more recent recognition include the John Gardner Leadership Award (by the American Leadership Forum) and Exemplary Contributions to the Arts in California (by the California State Legislature).

Fortune Magazine, in an extensive article on CFSV and Peter noted: " It is Peter Hero, more than anyone else who has shown Silicon Valley how to give....by channeling the area's distinctive culture inmto an unusual brand of charity: demanding, ambitious, self-concious, creative, even risky....all you would expect from Silicon Valley."

Peter is the Founding Chairman of the Board of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Foundation, and currently serves on the Boards of the Skoll Foundation, Sesame Workshop. He has served on the Boards of the Ebay Foundation, PBS, the American India Foundation, and helped found the first Entrepreneur's Foundation. He served on the Board of the Council on Foundations (COF) where he Chaired the National Committee on Community Foundations and the COF/World Bank/Ford Foundation Joint Committee on Global Community Foundation Development.

For nearly two decades Peter has worked in Central and Eastern Europe leading the creation of sustainable regional networks of community foundations. For his leadership, former Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel appointed Peter to the 2002 NATO Summit Council of Advisors. Peter has been a frequent lecturer at the Stanford graduate School of Business (where he was appointed Senior Fellow at the School's Center for Social Innovation) and his writing has been published in the United Staes and Europe. His most recent book, Local Mission, Global Vision: Community Foundations in the 21st Century was published by The Foundation Center in New York and has since been translated into 5 languages.

Back to the Board of Directors