The Impact Bay Area Board of Directors is responsible for our fiscal health and programmatic quality. We are always looking for qualified individuals to join Impact Bay Area's Board of Directors. Please visit the Join our Board page to learn more. Then email a short statement of interest and/or your resume to vanessa@impactbayarea.org.
Vanessa Baker, Board Chair
Vanessa is an enthusiastic board member of IMPACT Bay Area. A self-described "nonprofit governance nerd," she holds a Masters of Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco. She joined the IMPACT board in spring 2015, eager to share her nonprofit management and fundraising expertise with an organization that so closely matched her own interests and values.
Vanessa first experienced the thrill and empowerment of learning self-defense as a 22-year-old, when a roommate suggested that she try Stanford Kenpo Karate. After 2 years as a student and then 6 more years as a student / instructor, she earned her black belt in 2013. She feels grateful for all the joy, camaraderie and self-confidence she gained through her martial arts training and loves paying it forward through her work with IMPACT.
When not volunteering for IMPACT, you can find her raising funds for Outward Bound California, where she has served as Development Director since 2012. You may also find her out hiking or biking, enjoying local theater productions, or cuddling with her two cats at her home in San Francisco.
Jessica Pocalyko, Board Secretary
Jessica Pocalyko is a Senior Learning & Organization Development Consultant for Dignity Health, a California-based non-profit healthcare organization. She received her Master of Science in Organization Development (MSOD) from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management. Jessica has worked extensively with non-profit organizations in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Jessica specializes in change management, group facilitation, cultural awareness, meeting and conference design, strategic planning, and leadership and team development. As an Impact Bay Area board member, Jessica hopes to support growth and expand community partnership while staying true to Impact’s mission and values.
John Tudor, Board Treasurer
John joined the board in September of 2017 after attending an introductory training session with his wife. He was impressed by importance of the mission, the quality of the instruction, and IMPACT’s commitment to the empowerment of women. John was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, where he graduated from the University of Cape Town with a degree in finance. He left South Africa as a Rhodes Scholar to attend Oxford University where he received his MA. After working in Europe and Asia as a business strategy consultant for Monitor Company, John came to the US to attend Harvard Business School. Having graduated with his MBA, he worked for Bain Capital’s private equity fund in Boston. John left Bain Capital to join FFL, a private equity firm in San Francisco where he was until he retired. Since leaving his career in finance, John has been volunteering time at various non-profits in the Bay Area. John and his wife live in Marin with their two sons, and a Labrador.
Stephanie Somersille, At-Large Board Member
Stephanie joined the board in May, 2018 after taking the 24 hour Basics class the previous November. She is excited about IMPACT’s mission and committed to helping as many people as possible learn to keep themselves safe and secure.
Stephanie has expertise in mathematics, finance, teaching methodologies and game theory including strategic planning. Through her consulting work, she has experience bringing varied groups together to achieve common goals.
Stephanie holds a BA in Economics from Yale University and a PhD in mathematics from University of California, Berkeley. She does math research and consults in various areas including machine learning, data science, math education and mathematical finance.
In her free time Stephanie can be found surfing, volunteering at the ballet and symphony, taking ballet classes or helping care for the animals at The Marine Mammal Center.
Monica Stone, At-Large Board Member
Monica joined the board in November 2016, motivated by her passion for empowering women and the LGBT population. She wants all people to be able to defend themselves verbally and/or physically. Monica and her two adult daughters have felt empowered by their IMPACT training and want to make the training available to everyone across the Bay Area.
Monica works as a marriage and family therapist with couples and individuals suffering from sexual difficulties as well as depression, PTSD, and anxiety. She mentors younger therapists and is active in her neighborhood organizing for carbon reduction and emergency preparedness. Monica loves bringing together her large extended family with her husband of 35 years as well as hiking, body surfing and reading about the world.
Mary Walker, At-Large Board Member
Mary joined the IMPACT Board in February 2017 after being so impressed by the quality of the three-hour introduction class that she had to find out more about the organization behind it.Her background as both a leader in smaller technology companies and as a management consultant help her contribute at IMPACT.
