2017 Annual Dinner Symposium
On May 4, 2017 at Salesforce East, two panels of distinguished guests assembled to discuss past, present, and future trends of philanthropy over lunch at Asia Society Northern California's Annual Dinner Symposium, "Transformative Philanthropy."
The sold-out event featured two panels: "Visionaries of Giving" and "The Future of Philanthropy." Akiko Yamazaki, Chair of the Board of Directors at the Asian Art Museum and past Asia Society Northern California (ASNC) Annual Dinner Honoree (2015), launched the first panel with a keynote on her many philanthropic endeavors. Yamazaki moderated Panel 1, which included: Richard C. Blum, Chairman of Blum Capital Partners, member of ASNC Advisory Board, and 2017 Annual Dinner Honoree; William H. Draper III, Co-Chair of the Draper Richard Kaplan Foundation and 2017 Annual Dinner Honoree; and Jack Wadsworth, Co-Founder, Partner and Managing Director of Manitou Ventures as well as Co-Chairman of the ASNC Advisory Board. Blum spoke about his own experiences in Nepal and how that led him to found the American Himalayan Foundation and discussed the organization's current pursuits. Draper (William H.) noted that philanthropy comes from experiences, and commented that these experiences facilitate philanthropic choices. Wadsworth focused on his own philanthropic endeavors which extend beyond Asia.
Dr. Emmett Carson, President and CEO, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, kicked off the second panel with introductory remarks on current trends in philanthropic giving. Karthick Ramakrishnan, Professor and Associate Dean at the School of Public Policy, UC Riverside, moderated the panel. Tim Draper, Founding Partner, Draper Associates and DFJ and 2017 Annual Dinner Honoree joined the discussion. Draper (Tim) spoke at length about the entrepreneurial school in Silicon Valley that he founded, Draper University. Dr. Carson talked about the importance of philanthropy as a means help those less fortunate.
ASNC is grateful to Pacificforce of Salesforce for partnering with ASNC for this event and supporting it as well. Video footage of the two panels is coming soon!