John W. Gardner Community Impact Recognition
Professor John W. Gardner, a distinguished public servant, championed community building. His teachings continue to be guideposts for Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation.
Eligibility and Guidelines
- Any resident of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, or Mountain View, or whose volunteer service is in these communities.
- Nominees may be an adult, youth, or couple.
- LAMVCF will celebrate chosen Honorees with a tribute ad in the Los Altos Town Crier.
“Some people strengthen the society just by being the kind of people they are.”
— John W. Gardner
John W. Gardner Community Impact Honoree: Debbie DeSoto Kundrat
Debbie embodies the Gardner Impact Award through a decade of service to Mentor Tutor Connection (MTC). Formerly in Marketing Management at HP, Debbie has spent eight years on MTC’s marketing and events committees, chaired Board Development, and served as a past Board Chair (22–23).
Her broader civic impact includes roles with Leadership Mountain View, MVLA High School Foundation, and YMCA El Camino (Board Aug 26). Debbie’s blend of strategic leadership and hands-on youth advocacy makes her exceptionally deserving of this honor. She is a true cornerstone of our local community.
Previous Honorees
Suresh Shanmugham
Some people talk about community. Suresh Shanmugham builds it. As a mentor with the AVID program at Mountain View High School and The Peninsula College Fund, he invests his time and experience in first-generation college students navigating their futures. A former member of our LAMVCF Grants Committee, he has long understood the power of community philanthropy to create lasting change.
His current service commitment is most visible through his Board role with the Los Altos Library Endowment, where he championed the new Orchard View Courtyard, a space designed to bring the community together for generations to come.
Curtis Cole
Curtis Cole is a longtime Los Altos leader and former Mayor whose impact on the community spans decades. From the City Council to the Finance and Planning Commissions, and through his steady financial leadership supporting local schools, Curtis has helped guide some of our community’s most important decisions with integrity and care.
As a valued member of the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation Board, he brings deep local knowledge, thoughtful perspective, and a quiet dedication to getting things right. Whether front and center or behind the scenes, Curtis leads with humility, purpose, and a genuine love for this community, truly embodying the spirit of the Gardner Award.
Bruce McFarlane
We are proud to recognize Bruce McFarlane for his invaluable contributions to MVLA Scholars’ Supplemental Scholarship Program. His dedication has helped fund 175+ career-advancing internships across 50+ organizations, providing scholars with the experience and confidence to succeed after graduation. He meticulously oversees every detail, from proposal reviews to post-internship presentations. Bruce’s dedication has made this aspect of scholarship granting a game changer in MVLA Scholars’ years of success!
Liz Quinn
Liz has been a dedicated champion of LAMVCF grantee Kara since 2011, generously giving her time, expertise, and resources to support those navigating grief in our community. Over the years, she has touched countless lives—spending six years volunteering at Kara’s bereavement camp and serving on the board for an incredible 12 years. Her leadership, compassion, and generosity have been instrumental in expanding access to vital grief support services, ensuring that no one has to face loss alone.
Diane Schmitz
Diane has tirelessly led the Christie’s Sereno 1% For Good Charitable Foundation movement in Los Altos since 2012. Through their partnership with LAMVCF and Diane’s dedication, Christie’s Sereno reached a milestone of giving over $6,000,000 and supporting more than 500 local organizations.
John Riemenschnitter
John is the Director for Compassion Week Los Altos, a local coalition that created hands-on service and learning opportunities for over 4,000 volunteers in September 2024 (its 12th year!). He also serves as the Board President of Hope’s Corner. John is a co-founder of The Highway Community and recently retired from his role as lead pastor after 30 years of ministry there.
Kamrin Knight Desmond
A dedicated pillar of Los Altos, Kamrin has served twice on the Chamber of Commerce Board as Treasurer and Chair, earning the Walter & Marie Singer Award. She has chaired the Fall Festival and Financial Oversight committees for the Chamber and served as President of LAVA, where she also chaired the Art & Wine Festival. As a passionate aquatics advocate, she helped found the Los Altos Community Pool Fund, spearheading the recent LAMVCF grant to the city of Los Altos for a splash pad.
Peipei Yu
Peipei has served many key volunteer roles supporting LASD, including Executive Board Member for the LAMV PTA Council, Vice Chair for the Citizen Advisory Council, and VP of Egan’s PTA and previously as a member of the Equity Task Force and a Junior Olympics rep. She has contributed to initiatives such as school-related campaigns, National Charity League, and regularly participates in community forums and public meetings. We applaud Peipei for her dedication and impactful advocacy for public education!
Anabel Pelham, PhD
Dr. Anabel Pelham shows up for Los Altos and our community is forever changed. As founding director of the Center for Age Friendly Excellence (CAFE), a LAMVCF fiscally sponsored project, she earned Los Altos the first WHO Age-Friendly City certification in California and helped cities in the Bay Area and beyond assess needs, set priorities, and take measurable steps to improve life for older people and their families.
As a university professor, mentor, and civic leader, she gives her gifts freely to her students, her colleagues, and every older neighbor who needs a champion.
Bob Kresek
A former LAMVCF Board Member and longtime Chair of the Investment Committee, Bob Kresek has played an essential role in the Foundation’s ability to serve our local communities. With his steady guidance, thoughtful stewardship, and deep sense of integrity, Bob has helped ensure that the Foundation’s resources create lasting, meaningful impact.
Beyond service to LAMVCF, Bob has poured his time, expertise, and heart into organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford and the Secular Coalition for America. Whether supporting families in crisis or advancing civic engagement, Bob brings the same steady compassion, thoughtful leadership, and unwavering sense of responsibility to every cause.
Sangeeth Peruri
Sangeeth has dedicated over a decade to advancing educational equity, a value deeply shared by the LAMVCF community. Through his board service and community leadership — including roles with THINK Together, Orenda Education, the Boys and Girls Club, and as Board President of the Los Altos School District — Sangeeth has championed initiatives that uplift students and strengthen communities. As Co-Founder and CEO of OutreachCircle, he expanded the power of grassroots engagement through civic technology. Today, we proudly honor Sangeeth for his visionary leadership and lasting commitment to expanding access to quality education — a goal that resonates across our LAMVCF family.
Ann Ibaraki
Ann, a longtime Board member and Registration Chair for TACO, has helped build a welcoming, inclusive musical community. Her meticulous demographic tracking strengthens TACO’s grant applications, securing vital support. She and her husband have also dedicated countless volunteer hours to the Mountain View High School music program. We celebrate Ann’s dedication and charitable impact on the music scene, and TACO as a local favorite in our Impact Collective!
Vaishali "Shali" Sirkay
Shali has been committed to empowering children and families through her work as a Governing Board Member on the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees (President in 2021), Vice Chair of the Santa Clara County Juvenile Justice Commission (Chair of the Education, Equity and Justice Committee) and Vice President of the Santa Clara County School Boards Association.
Arthur "Art" Whipple
Art is an amateur radio operator (ham), a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member, and a director of LAMVCF incubated nonprofit project Resilient Los Altos (RLA). Art and RLA are actively promoting the construction of the new Emergency Operations Center for Los Altos, which will be completed in 2025.
Harry Price
Harry is an extraordinary leader and advocate for our community! He has dedicated his time and talent to numerous impactful roles, including Past President of the Los
Altos Village Association (LAVA) and the Los Altos Rotary Club, Assistant Governor for Rotary District 5170, and a valued member of the Chamber of Commerce Board He is a former Board Chair for LAMVCF and legal mediator.
Michelle Galbraith
Michelle has spent over 15 years supporting organizations like the Gardner Bullis Elementary School PTA, where she served in multiple leadership roles helping to strengthen the school community. Her commitment to the Festival of Lights Parade Association is equally as impressive, serving as an integral leader for the board since 2006 and managing communications. Michelle is currently mentoring a college student through our LAMVCF nonprofit incubator project, MVLA Scholars. She embodies the spirit of grassroots leadership and meaningful service!
Sally Chaves
Sally Chaves exemplifies the spirit of service that strengthens our community. Former Director of Youth Services, and current Co-Chair of the BooksPlus Committee for the Los Altos Rotary Club, she is a passionate advocate for young people, creating opportunities that help them grow and thrive.
Her leadership extends across organizations that shape lives every day, from mentoring students and serving as Board Chair through Mentor Tutor Connection, to advancing food access and sustainability with Collective Roots.
The Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation is proud to recognize Sally for her leadership and lasting impact.
Yaning Tan
Yaning has been a devoted Soil&Water Garden volunteer for three years, generously contributing her time, skills, and resources to help the project thrive. From organizing projects and coordinating volunteers to designing gardens and growing transplants at home, she consistently goes above and beyond.
Soil&Water Garden is a fiscally sponsored project of the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation’s Local Impact Collective.
Soil&Water Garden is a fiscally sponsored project of the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation’s Local Impact Collective.
Leslie Carmichael
Leslie has devoted many years to meaningful community service, leading the Girl Scouts and serving as a Board Member and former President of Hope’s Corner, where she was instrumental in combating food insecurity. Her service continues through Los Altos United Methodist Church as part of the Compassion Week Planning Team, organizing
Disaster Response Teams, and serving on the Board of Camping and Retreat Ministries with the California-Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church. We proudly celebrate Leslie for her steadfast commitment to helping others and for her inspiring work to build stronger, more compassionate communities.
Maulik Dhakal
Maulik serves as the Jon Alvin Hayman Director of the Los Altos Institution (LAI), an incubated project of LAMVCF that he helped establish to foster civic engagement and leadership in our community. Through LAI, Maulik has worked to empower individuals, spark meaningful dialogue, and cultivate the next generation of community leaders. His dedication to democracy, civic renewal, and public service underscores his commitment to strengthening institutions at both the local and national levels. His work is a testament to the power of community-driven initiatives—beginning right here at LAMVCF—growing into a force for positive change!
Joe Simitian
Joe Simitian was elected to the California State Senate in 2004. A long-time friend of the foundation, Joe's public service includes stints as a State Assemblymember, member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Mayor of Palo Alto, and the Palo Alto School Board. In addition to his work on several non-profit Boards, County Supervisor Joe Simitian secured grant funding for LAMVCF 's community grants program.
Laura Teksler
A former LAMVCF Board Chair, Laura’s dedication to the environment has been to the benefit of the Los Altos Environmental Commission (8 years!) leading the City’s effort to adopt building and EV Reach Codes. She serves on the boards of GreenTown Los Altos and Acterra and is a champion for public schools as a member of the School District Citizens Advisory Council on Finance.
Ed Taft
For 20 years, Ed has been a dedicated volunteer at the Los Altos History Museum, serving on the board (including a term as president), chairing the Finance Committee, and rallying support for a Permanent Exhibition. Alongside his wife, Pamela, he is a devoted supporter of El Camino Health Foundation, helping advance critical healthcare initiatives like the Taft Center for Clinical Research.
Have a question?
Email: Arya@LAMVCF.org
Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Federal Tax ID 77-0273721