Board of Directors
Alison Hill, President
Managing Director
Prologis
Alison Hill is Managing Director, Strategic Capital for Prologis, a global owner of industrial real estate. Alison is responsible for the formation, structuring and operations of Prologis’ private capital ventures around the world. She joined AMB Property Corporation (now Prologis) in 1999, and served in a variety of positions, including chief operating officer of AMB Capital Partners, with responsibility for building the private capital business and expanding outside of the United States. Prior to joining Prologis in 1999, she practiced real estate law at Morrison & Foerster and Lionel Sawyer & Collins within the real estate and commercial transactions groups. Alison holds a J.D., cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Hamilton College. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, cooking, eating out and travel.
Christine Weiss, Treasurer
Managing Director
HighMark Capital
Chris is a Managing Director at HighMark Capital, an investment management firm serving institutional and individual investors. She oversees Manager Research and Marketing functions, is a member of HighMark’s Investment Policy Committee and Manager Review Committee, and serves as project manager on a variety of firm-wide initiatives. Prior to joining HighMark in 2003, Chris held various management roles at GT Global and GT Capital Management. Chris also serves as Chair of the San Carlos Education Foundation Endowment Committee. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and three teenage daughters.Chris holds a BA in Economics from UC Santa Barbara, and an MBA in Management from Golden Gate University.
Laura Mallers, Secretary
Senior Manager, Audit & Assurance
Deloitte
Laura is part of Deloitte's Bay Area Audit & Assurance practice. She specializes in serving clients in the consumer industry, and is a fellow in Deloitte’s national and cross-functional Retail & Distribution Fellowship program. She previously worked for Deloitte in Minneapolis and is a Certified Public Accountant. Laura received a Bachelor of Arts from Luther College, where she majored in Accounting and Economics and minored in Spanish. Laura grew up in Minnesota and moved to San Francisco in 2014 with her husband and their dog, Ruby. In her free time, she likes to cook, travel, hike, paddle, practice yoga, and volunteer.
Michelle Sioson Hyman: VP, External
Senior Officer
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Michelle Sioson Hyman is Senior Officer at Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Center for Early Learning. This position manages a number of high profile regional strategies, research, convenings, and operations focused on improving the lives of young children and their families throughout Silicon Valley and the rest of the State. Michelle has experience in strategic planning, program development, event planning and community building in the areas of early childhood development, education and public health.
Michelle has a master’s in public health from Yale University. She is also a certified yoga instructor and birth support doula. Michelle enjoys rock climbing, hiking and is on a quest to find the best bakery ever. She lives in San Mateo with her husband, Joel, and their two children, Cecelia and Elisha.
Board Members
Kathy Anderson
Charles Schwab & Co. - Retired
Kathy served as Senior Vice President at Charles Schwab & Co. and led Core Technology Solutions (CTS) which provides the data and support applications for all core Schwab functions and customer-facing channels.
Somya Chauhan
Financial Controller
Google
Somya is an explorer, advisor and accountant. In her official capacity, Somya is the financial controller at Google, where she is responsible for the company’s global expenses, month close reporting and day-to-day operations. Somya has also trained to be a career coach. She facilitates a leadership development program at Google and also offers one-on-one career coaching. Prior to Google, she worked at HP and EY.
Outside of work, Somya is passionate about hiking and loves to travel, most recently having trekked the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu with her daughter. Somya grew up in India, where she majored in English Literature at Delhi University. After relocating to the United States, she earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Annie Claybaugh
Operations Manager and Sponsorship Coordinator
Beneficial State Bank
Gillian Clegg
Acting Director, Core Gas Supply
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Gillian Clegg is the Director of Core Gas Supply at PG&E. Her team is responsible for procuring natural gas for PG&E's residential and small commercial gas customers. Gillian has more than ten years experience in the energy industry, including roles in renewable energy procurement, trading and risk management. Gillian holds a BSc and MSc in Mathematics from Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, respectively. Gillian credits years of competitive soccer and softball for teaching her leadership and confidence, and is excited to contribute to GirlVentures' mission to empower young girls through outdoor adventure. A native of Canada, Gillian moved to San Francisco in 2007, a perfect place to indulge in her hobbies of playing soccer, snowboarding, camping, hiking and eating. Gillian lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons.
Dana Kern
Associate Account Director
Bleu Marketing Solutions
Wendy Lin
Head of Development Sciences
AbbVie Stemcentrx
Wendy is the Head of Development Sciences at AbbVie Stemcentrx, a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology research. As a member of the executive leadership team, Wendy oversees the strategic and operational direction of a major arm of the Stemcentrx business and manages a large team of process development scientists, manufacturing engineers, quality analysts and regulatory affairs specialists. Wendy attended the University of California, Berkeley where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics.
Wendy is a lover of all things related to sports and the outdoors -- from mushing (dog sledding) in Minnesota to training as a youth world competitive swimmer. In college, she fell in love with climbing, and she has been bouldering and big wall climbing ever since. She is a 5.10 sponsored athlete and although she isn't climbing as frequently these days, she is heavily involved with the climbing community and sets climbing routes. These experiences were instrumental in teaching her teamwork, healthy competition, goal setting and overcoming challenges. Wendy is grateful for this exposure as a young woman and is dedicated to helping others access these experiences through Girl Ventures.
Gina McFarland
Vice President, Portfolio Controller
Shorenstein Properties
Gina is a VP, Portfolio Controller at Shorenstein Properties, where she oversees the financial accounting and reporting for several private investment funds, real estate investments, and joint ventures. Prior to joining Shorenstein, Gina was a Portfolio Controller at Equity One, Inc and prior to that an Audit Manager at Deloitte & Touche, LLP. She attended the University of San Diego, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Accountancy degree.
Gina grew up in the Bay Area participating in multiple team sports and continued this involvement by coaching young girls and contributing to many sport camps. She went on to play Division I softball in college. Gina feels very strongly that the teamwork and leadership skills that sports taught her continue to serve her in the business world. These same invaluable skills are the foundation of GirlVentures’ mission. She is excited to contribute to helping more girls develop their strengths and their confidence. Gina’s hobbies include sports, travel, and trying the wonderful restaurants in and around San Francisco.
Rachel Miller-Garcia
Vice President, Business Development
Mandy Mooney
Senior Director, Marketing Communications
Lithium Technologies
Originally a Midwesterner, Mandy now lives in the Bay Area with her daughter and husband. She leads marketing communications at Lithium Technologies and previously held several marketing and communications roles at Gap Inc. In 2013, she co-founded GapWIL, Gap Inc.’s women in leadership employee resource group, with the mission to help women achieve their full career potential. As a member of the GirlVentures Board of Directors, Mandy hopes to accelerate possibilities for girls so they know their limitless potential. In her free time, Mandy loves to travel, dance, and explore the great outdoors.
Greg Ruppert
Senior Vice President, Financial Crimes Risk Management Department
Charles Schwab Corporation
Greg leads the Financial Crimes Risk Management Department for Charles Schwab Corporation, where he oversees the firm’s investigative, anti-money laundering, and anti-fraud efforts. Prior to joining Schwab in 2014, Greg spent nearly 18 years as a special agent in the FBI serving in Boston, Washington D.C., The Hague, and Berlin. Greg has a Bachelor of Arts in International Affair and Commerce from the University of the Pacific and a J.D from McGeorge School of Law. Greg is also a Professor of Practice for Pacific’s School of Engineering and Computer Sciences, and is a member of the California Bar.
As a California native, Greg was excited to return to NorCal and brought with him his wife and two daughters. As a family, they love to ski in the winter and enjoy a variety of paddle sports, hiking, and fly fishing in the summer.