2012 National Conference

Executive Connector

Paul Shoemaker is committed to work in the community, serving on the boards of several organizations. He is the founding president of Social Venture Partner International and currently sits on their board of directors, as well as the boards of the Microsoft Alumni Foundation and Partners for Our Children. He previously worked as a board treasurer of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, Children’s Alliance in Seattle, and Treepeople in Los Angeles. Shoemaker was also recently named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential People in the Non-Profit Sector” by The NonProfit Times.
Before coming to SVP Seattle in 1998, he was group manager for worldwide operations at Microsoft Corporation. Prior to his work at Microsoft, Shoemaker was a product manager at Nestle USA in Glendale, CA.

Paul holds a master's of business administration in marketing and finance from the University of Texas and a bachelor's in accounting from Iowa State University.

Director of Capacity Building & Operations

Melanie Matthews manages the Campion Foundation’s capacity building program, which aims to build strong, sustainable grantees and a powerful, resilient non-profit sector and is responsible for all Foundation operations, including grants management. Prior to joining the Foundation, Melanie spent twelve years working in the nonprofit arts community in the UK and USA. She managed Kneehigh Theatre, one of the UK’s top theatre companies, as well as Malvern Theatres, a three-venue arts center in the UK, transforming it with a multi-million dollar redevelopment program. Matthews is a graduate of Bristol University in the UK and holds a master's of public administration from Colorado State University. She is co-chair of the Pacific Northwest chapter of Grants Managers Network and a member of Independent Sector’s Advisory Group on Nonprofit Effectiveness. Matthews sits on the board of Shunpike, an organization which helps arts groups better manage the business aspects of art.

President & Director

George "Jock" Edwards serves as president and director of Sherwood Trust, a private foundation dedicated to building the capacity and will to achieve within the community of the Walla Walla Valley in appreciation of Donald and Virginia Sherwood. Edwards spent his career working in the mortgage banking and appraisal industries before becoming president and director of Sherwood Trust in 1997.

Edwards received a bachelor's from Whitman College. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he received a master's of business administration from the University of California at Berkeley.

Founding Principal

Jennifer Bright is a founding principal of Social Market Strategies, a consultancy that works with the charitable sector. She has spent over 20 years working with local, regional, national and international nonprofits. Since 2004, she has worked as a strategic planning consultant and interim executive, helping nonprofits and grantmakers synthesize their experience and data in order to clarify vision and develop concrete action plans. Jennifer has an MPA from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington and a BA in French from the University of Illinois.