Staff | Central Valley Community Foundation

Ashley Swearengin

President and CEO

Meet the CEO

Oversees the overall management and direction of the Central Valley Community Foundation, ensuring that CVCF makes progress every day towards accomplishing our mission: to cultivate smart philanthropy, lead, and invest in solutions that build stronger communities.

Ashley Swearengin is president and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, a charitable foundation serving the six counties of Central California and providing over $100 million in funding to over 650 community benefit organizations over the last decade. Prior to joining CVCF, she served as Mayor of the City of Fresno from 2009 through 2016. As mayor, she implemented substantial changes to improve the delivery of city services, revitalize the downtown and urban core, promote business and job growth, address chronic homelessness, and stabilize the city’s financial position. Before becoming mayor, Ashley led a number of economic development initiatives in the Fresno region, including the Central Valley Business Incubator, Fresno State’s Office of Community and Economic Development, and the Regional Jobs Initiative. She holds MBA and BS degrees from California State University, Fresno.

Ann-Marie Padilla

Program Office, Projects & Scholarships

Works externally with applicants and grantees and internally with program, finance, and legal staff to structure and complete processing of grantmaking and scholarship requirements.

Claudia Ruiz-Alvarez

Director of Donor Services

Focuses on providing exceptional and differentiated service to donors, prospective donors, nonprofit organizations, and colleagues. Claudia carries out CVCF’s mission by facilitating the establishment and effective operation of donor-advised, designated, scholarship and agency funds.

David Johnson

Special Projects

Implements and directs initiatives related to donor stewardship, fiscal management, and project management.

Elliott Balch

Chief Operating Officer (C.O.O.)

Coordinates grantmaking, community engagement, and policy work; recruits staff talent; and designs and implements strategies for program growth.

Gretchen Moore

Chief Strategy Officer (C.S.O)

Directs community engagement and communications activities in cooperation with CVCF staff, community partners, funders, and grantees.

Jessica Revis

Executive Assistant

Provides high-level administrative support to the CEO and assists with various projects. This includes the overall management of the CEO’s schedule and various correspondences. Often referred to as the gatekeeper, Jessica oversees all incoming requests and inquires for the CEO.

Kerri Horn

Chief Finance Officer (C.F.O.)

Provides accountability of the financial affairs of CVCF and serves as the chief financial advisor regarding fiscal resources and outlays. Kerri directs, administers, and coordinates policies and procedures related to: finance and investment management, safeguarding of assets, and compliance with internal controls.

Laura Maciel

Communications Manager

Facilitates and implements CVCF’s strategic communications plan, including developing original content that helps tell the story of the Central Valley.

Laura Ramos

Community Engagement Associate

Facilitating positive interactions with guests, managing the Center for Community, providing administrative support to staff, and coordination for multiple events.

Phuong Bui

Staff Accountant

Executes a variety of administrative, data, and accounting tasks to support grantmaking and finance.

Sarah Moffat

Director of External Affairs

Responsible for attracting and engaging CVCF’s six-county region on portfolio issues pertaining to economic development. Supports key CVCF signature programming including Council of Business Sponsors and the Central Valley Legislators Roundtable.

Travis Jeffus

Senior Staff Accountant

Executes a variety of accounting and financial control monitoring duties for CVCF. Travis ensures proper accounting for gifts, grants, and other financial transactions, thereby safeguarding the integrity of CVCF’s funds.

Yen Kilday

Director of Programs & Evaluation

Yen is a key system administrator who works collaboratively with colleagues throughout the organization, grant and scholarship review committees, and grantee partners to oversee and implement grantmaking by CVCF.