Board of Directors
GirlVentures Board of Directors
Ivonne Garcia, President
Senior Director of Community Programs
YMCA of San Francisco, Buchanan
Over the last 15 years, Ivonne has dedicated her professional life to community advocacy and youth development through various non-profit organizations. In her years at the YMCA of Greater San Francisco, she has had the opportunity to connect city youth to nature and the outdoors, supported people of all ages in their health and wellness goals, and provided physical and social wellbeing programs to seniors in the Fillmore and Japantown districts. Ivonne has a Bachelors in Biology and Environmental Science & Policy from Smith College and a Masters in Women & Gender Studies from San Francisco State University. Ivonne is excited to bring her passion and experience to GirlVentures once again - 15 years after she first became a GV Instructor! When she is not working, Ivonne can often be found running trails throughout the Bay Area, spending time with her family in the Mission, and daydreaming about life alongside her cat, bearded dragon, and corn snake.
Lizzie Hoerauf, Treasurer
Financial Analyst
Lizzie’s passion for the outdoors was ignited at 18 during a pre-orientation backpacking trip with Duke University. This experience led her to a career in leading backpacking trips and outdoor education programs across the country, particularly in Yosemite National Park, CA. While she loved being in the field, Lizzie was equally drawn to the behind-the-scenes operations and analytical work that supported these missions. This interest led her to pursue management roles and ultimately earn an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, where she specialized in nonprofit finance. Lizzie is thrilled to bring her expertise and enthusiasm to GirlVentures. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, knitting, and reading.
Banke Abioye, Secretary
Entitlement + Community Engagement Associate
Banke was born and raised in the Bay Area, and has been passionate about outdoor recreation since she was a teenager, exploring the trails of the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada. With a deep commitment to youth development, Banke gained valuable experience as a green workforce and sustainability instructor in Chicago, where she worked with students on projects like bike mechanics and urban garden design. Her connection to GirlVentures runs deep, having previously volunteered on the Youth Advisory Board and in the Girls Climb On program. Now, Banke is excited to return as a Board Member and contribute to the organization's mission of leadership development and empowering women-identifying youth. By day, Banke works in the industrial real estate sector. In her free time, you can find her hiking along the fire trails in Berkeley, sailing in the San Francisco Bay, or deepening her connection to her native culture through her passion project, the Nigerian Supper Club.
Meghan Herbert, Member
Program Associate, Environment & Science
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
Meghan's love of the outdoors began as a camper and then counselor in the woods of New Hampshire, where she led a leadership development program, ropes course, and other outdoor activities at an overnight girls' summer camp. The natural abundance in Northern California drew Meghan to the Bay Area in college, and ever since she has spent her free time hiking, skiing, camping, and exploring outdoors with friends and family. Meghan is excited to contribute her expertise working in nonprofit operations and grantmaking to her role on the GV Board of Directors. At work, she currently helps manage a grantmaking portfolio on the Packard Foundation's Environment & Science team. Prior to Packard, she previously worked on Tides' fiscal sponsorship team to provide operational support and strategic advising to nonprofits ranging in issue area. Her career has centered around supporting organizations that are working to make our world more just, equitable, and sustainable, so she is passionate about contributing to GirlVentures' mission to empower girls and gender expansive youth to lead in their communities and to make nature more accessible and conserved for future generations.
Whei Hsueh, Member
Counsel
Whei Hsueh is Counsel at Hogan Lovells in San Francisco, advising on tech M&A, IP licensing, joint ventures and technology partnerships, R&D collaborations, and VC diligence. An East Coast native and 20‑year San Francisco resident, she holds a BS/MS in EECS from Columbia University and a JD from UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings).
In a former life, Whei has explored underwater in the Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Bali, Zanzibar, Maldives, Alaska and Hawaii. She has trekked Annapurna Base Camp (Nepal), Mt. Kinabalu (Borneo), and Machu Picchu (Peru), along with numerous U.S. peaks. She champions outdoor experiences for girls as a pathway to leadership and exposure to STEM. Whei lives in San Francisco with her husband, two daughters (ages 1 and 3), and dogs Larry and Stuart, and can’t wait to get back on longer trails when her girls are ready to lace up.
Jen San Juan, Member
Manager of External Affairs
Jen is a Bay Area native whose passion for the outdoors began with annual family camping trips as a young girl. Today, she's an avid fly fisher, hiker, backpacker, climber and overall explorer. As Manager of External Affairs for the San Francisco Giants and a former Division II softball player who grew up playing baseball, Jen has spent her life breaking down barriers for girls and women in sports and beyond. She brings this commitment to GirlVentures as a Board Member, having previously served as a mentor for the Girls Climb On program. Jen is dedicated to empowering the next generation of youth to find confidence, community, and joy in the outdoors.
Erin Vong Limoges, Member
Erin Vong Limoges is an educator and oral historian who most recently led programming at Voice of Witness. Taking a break to focus on family, she has dedicated her career to serving youth, especially multilingual learners, having grown up in the Bay Area as the daughter of refugees. She received dual Bachelor's degrees in Art History and Communication from UC Davis, and a Master's degree in Organization & Leadership from the University of San Francisco. Erin aspires to raise her own family to thrive in the outdoors, and looks forward to bringing her personal and professional experiences to GirlVentures. You can find her walking with her daughter waving at all the neighborhood dogs on any given day.
Sylvana Tunesi, Governance Chair
Senior Program Manager, Product Education
Sylvana first discovered her love for wild places in the north woods of Minnesota. After serving as a summer camp director, WWOOF-ing around Australia and teaching STEM to elementary-aged children, she moved to San Francisco to gain access to the variety of wilderness that California offers. Her passions for exploring nature and empowering girls led her to GirlVentures and she is honored to serve on the board and contribute to the mission of the organization. At work, Sylvana leverages systems and technology to help individuals build their skills, with a special emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Sylvana holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from McGill University and when she’s not working or adventuring in far away places, she’s exploring Golden Gate Park with her husband, dog and little boy.
Jessica Wolff, Member
Program Director
Immigration Policy Lab, Stanford University
Jessica works at Stanford University’s Immigration Policy Lab, where she leads research teams to co-design, implement and evaluate evidence-based global migration programs and policies with government and INGO partners to improve access to rights and services for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Previously, she worked with INGOs to improve local government service inclusion for displaced persons and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal. Outside of work, she can be found exploring new neighborhood spots in Berkeley (moved just about a year ago from SF) or out hiking or biking with my partner, Dharan, and our cattle dog, Lasya.
Youth leadership and outdoor education have been close to Jessica's heart as a lifelong camper - from summer camps growing up, to spending my college summers as a counselor at a global youth leadership camp in Maine, to present day hiking, backpacking and kayaking adventures with friends and family. She believes deeply in improving accessibility and inclusion in the outdoors and the true empowerment that can be transformative for youth through trying something new, building self-confidence, and experiential learning with others.