Mountain View, Calif. – August 1, 2018 – El Camino Hospital Foundation announced board member additions and departures for the coming fiscal year. Gary Kalbach has become the El Camino Hospital Board of Directors liaison to El Camino Hospital Foundation, succeeding David Reeder as the liaison. After completing three three-year terms of service, Claudia Coleman, Gunilla Follett, and Willem P. Roelandts have also stepped down from the El Camino Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.
As Hospital Board liaison since 2012, David Reeder kept Foundation Board members informed about hospital developments and brought the philanthropy message back to the Hospital Board. He took that message to heart himself, consistently supporting the foundation’s fundraising events and initiatives.
“I want you to know how much I particularly appreciate the El Camino Hospital Foundation getting behind mental health as a need in the community,” Reeder told Foundation Board members at his last meeting. “You brought it out in the open. The work you do is very important.”
Gary Kalbach started his career as a banker and became a venture capitalist under the mentorship of El Camino Hospital Foundation founder Jack Melchor. Now retired, he previously served on the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Board of Directors and then on the El Camino Hospital board finance and governance committees. He was also the first chair of the board of the Fogarty Institute for Innovation.
“I spent a lot of time in Norma and Jack Melchor’s kitchen discussing El Camino Hospital and Foundation,” Kalbach told the Foundation Board. “I know and like what you are doing. Thank you for what you do.”
A former marketing executive at Hewlett Packard, Claudia Coleman focused on helping the Foundation create an inspirational narrative that would make a more compelling case in the community. She chaired the board from 2012 to 2013 during a time of transition and led by example, making gifts to support the Foundation’s fundraising initiatives, introducing the hospital and foundation to influential community members, and serving as the hospital’s ambassador in the community.
Gunilla Follett has played an active role on the annual gala planning committee. With her assistance, Sapphire Soirée raised $3 million for the Cancer Center between 2011 and 2017. This year, she helped launch Spring Forward, a gala to benefit mental health and addiction services. Follett was also an early supporter of the High Risk Breast Program and shared insights to inform the development of the hospital’s pain management program.
During his nine-year tenure, Wim P. Roelandts provided the strategic planning insight of a corporate CEO, keeping a keen eye on the financials and the importance of a return on investment for donors. After the new patient tower opened in 2009, he organized a special reception and tour for Silicon Valley CEOs to forge connections between them and the hospital leadership. The Roelandts subsequently initiated “Maecenas Dinners” so key friends could learn about the Cancer Center over intimate meals with the top doctors and hospital CEO. The couple has generously supported the Cancer Center and named the emergency department waiting area for Wim’s mother.
“We are grateful to Claudia, Gunilla, Wim, and David for their dedication and generosity,” says Foundation President Jodi Barnard. “All of us at El Camino Hospital and the Foundation have benefited from the unique talents and perspectives they brought to the organization over many years of service. We look forward to starting a new chapter with Gary.”
El Camino Hospital Foundation board members serve three-year terms and are eligible to renew two consecutive times. Terms run July 1 through June 30, in accordance with the hospital’s fiscal calendar. Members attend bi-monthly board meetings and help to advance the foundation’s fundraising goals through their own contributions and those they help to solicit. Roelandts has left Silicon Valley but Coleman, Follett and Reeder will remain connected as members of the Foundation’s Honorary Board, an organization of emeritus foundation leaders.
