Board / Staff / Consultants

Vesper Society Bio

President

Miyoko is an experienced nonprofit executive who uniquely combines a passion for social justice and building organizations and their programs.  Always curious about how the world works, she has served in a wide range of roles from strategic to operational to financial.

Prior to Vesper Society, Miyoko served as the chief operating officer at the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles and brings a creative sensibility to her work.  Her broad and deep nonprofit experience comes from her role as president of the Southern California Grantmakers, Los Angeles and director of projects at the Tides Foundation, San Francisco.

With the current Vesper Society priorities, Miyoko traverses the state of California, from rural Modoc County to Imperial County on the Mexican border.  She embodies a deep commitment to a leadership style that is based on values of service, integrity and respect.  She earned a master’s degree from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA.

Email: moshima@vesper.org

415.291.0901

Vesper Society Bio

Executive Assistant

Carol combines skills in administration, project management, communications and research with a desire to work with others to bring about social justice. She received her bachelor’s in sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, where she conducted research on a study of Americans’ attitudes toward civil liberties at the University-affiliated Survey Research Center. Carol enjoys wilderness backpacking and creative expression through painting, photography and gardening.

Email:  cmckevitt@vesper.org

415.291.0905

Vesper Society Bio

Certified Public Accountant

Hydeh Ghaffari is Vesper Society’s financial management consultant. She has more than 30 years of experience as a financial manager and 25 years as a CPA. Hydeh’s mission is to provide quality service, establish a true partnership with clients, and assist them in building a stronger infrastructure so they can make informed decisions and accomplish their mission and objectives. She currently services nonprofits including private and community foundations, schools, advocacy, social service and religious organizations.

Hydeh holds an MBA from Golden Gate University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from University of Tehran, Iran. She has taught at the University of San Francisco as an adjunct faculty member. Hydeh has been a regular speaker at AICPA National Nonprofit Conference for the past several years, and is a member of CalCPA and the AICPA. She is the former co-chair of the California Nonprofit Conference and is on the planning committee of the AICPA.

Vesper Society Bio

South Pasadena, CA

Dr. Luedtke served as a Vesper Society board member from 2005 through 2010. He was reappointed in 2012 and serves as the board chair and a member of the program committee. From 2006 to 2015, he was president and CEO of Boston-based Education Development Center, one of the world’s leading nonprofit education and health organizations, with projects in the U.S. and around the world.

Prior to joining EDC in 2006, Dr. Luedtke was president of California Lutheran University for 14 years. He taught English, journalism and American studies for two decades at the University of Southern California. His professional life has taken him around the world, including posts as a Fulbright professor in Germany and director of the American Studies Research Centre in India. Dr. Luedtke earned his bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in his native Minnesota and his Ph.D. in American civilization from Brown University.

Vesper Society Bio

Portola Valley, California

Ms. Anderson first joined the Vesper Society board in 2000. In 2014, Ms. Anderson was reappointed to the board and serves as vice chair and as a member of the finance and audit committees. Ms. Anderson brings extensive business operations experience to her work on the Vesper Society board. She has held a variety of management positions in the aerospace industry. Currently she is subcontract program manager for the Missile Products Directorate, FBM Program for Lockheed Martin, which honored her with one of its highest awards, NOVA, for teamwork. Ms. Anderson was also recognized by the YWCA with a Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) award. Outside of work, she is active in her community and Valley Presbyterian Church, serving as treasurer from 2008–2012. She received her bachelor’s degree in business finance from California State University, Chico, and her MBA from Santa Clara University.

Vesper Society Bio

Miami Beach, Florida, and Washington, DC

Mr. Stolz joined the Vesper Society board in 2013 and serves as chair of the audit committee. He is president of Network Solutions and is responsible for the company’s network solutions, including Healthways Prime Fitness and Silver Sneakers Fitness and its specialty medical benefits services. Stolz has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare and well-being improvement, holding leadership positions with innovative, industry-leading companies including Maxicare, Towers Watson, UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, and Healthcare Solutions. He was president of Strategic Alliances of Chip Rewards, Inc., a health care IT company focused on health promotion and incentives.

Mr. Stolz served on the board of Bethany College, Kansas, and the board of Sitar Arts Center in Washington, DC. He serves on the development committee of Food and Friends in Washington, DC. Mr. Stolz earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, and a Masters of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin.

Mr. Stolz is a member of Augustana Lutheran Church, Washington, DC, the first racially-integrated Lutheran church in the USA. He and his partner, David Hatfield, have been together 19 years. They have a Bernese Mountain Dog named Cornelia. They split their time equally between Washington, DC, and Miami Beach, Florida.

Vesper Society Bio

Portola Valley, California

Ms. Wotiz served as a Vesper Society board member from 2005 through 2010. She was reappointed in 2012 and currently serves as board secretary and member of the program committee. She worked in the software industry for 32 years in both technical and management roles. Her past positions include vice president of engineering at Azerity, a provider of collaborative e-business applications for manufacturer companies with complex sales processes.

From 1992 to 2014, she served on the board of directors of the Bill Wilson Center (which provides shelter and services for at-risk youth) in Santa Clara, California, serving 13 years as board president, and she serves now as an emeritus board member. Ms. Wotiz holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in computer science.

Vesper Society Bio

Reno, Nevada

Ms. Heinemeier joined the Vesper Society board in 2016 and serves on the audit committee. She has been in healthcare her entire career – first as a medical technologist and for the last thirty plus years in healthcare administration in hospitals, private practices and hospital integrated delivery systems in California, Nevada, Virginia and Maryland.  Ms. Heinemeier has served on both the state and national boards of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) as well as on clinical advisory committees.

Ms. Heinemeier has served on the board of Cancer Awareness of Nevada, a non-profit organization that provides financial aid to people in the state who are undergoing cancer treatment. She has served on various church committees/boards and is currently a member of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, an ELCA congregation in Reno, NV.

Ms. Heinemeier received a BS from UC Davis and completed an internship in medical technology at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA. She is a certified member and a fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE).

Vesper Society Bio

San Diego, CA

Mr. Larson joined The Vesper Society board in 2016 and serves on the program committee. As a correspondent for PBS and NBC (14 years), John Larson’s career has taken him to the corners of the world to investigate the sinking of a passenger ferry in Indonesia, a five-year-old Buddhist Monk in Nepal, corrupt police in Mexico City, a terrorist attack in Central Africa, the war in Iraq, snake handlers in Appalachia, and many more.

Mr. Larson has been honored with journalism awards including multiple Peabody’s, National Emmy’s and three DuPont Columbia Awards.

Mr. Larson is also a much sought after speaker, teacher and motivator. He speaks regularly at the National Writers’ workshops, the Poynter Institute and the National Press Photographers’ national workshop. Mr. Larson has been a frequent guest lecturer for the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio and Television News Directors’ Association and local affiliates. In 1998, he was invited to participate in the Committee of Concerned Journalists, sponsored by the Nieman Foundation of Harvard University.

Mr. Larson graduated from Colgate University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He began his journalism career as a stringer for the Boston Globe in 1979. Mr. Larson worked as a general assignment reporter for KOMO, Seattle, WA, from 1986 to 1994. In 2009, he launched his own production company, trained in digital journalism, and began consulting for media companies.

Mr. Larson lived early in his career in Alaska, volunteering for one of the smallest television stations in the nation. Alaska remains one of his favorite places on earth. He lives with his wife and near his grown kids in San Diego, CA.

Vesper Society Bio

Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Dr. Kidd was elected to the Vesper Society board in 2014 and serves on the program committee. An educator, Dr. Kidd directed international studies majors at Sacred Heart and Fairfield Universities in Connecticut. She has also worked with the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University as a senior program manager and with FHI 360 managing a scholarship program for gifted college students from Saudi Arabia. As an active Lutheran, Dr. Kidd worked for the Lutheran Church in American Department of Church in Society addressing international issues and has also served as a consultant to Lutheran World Federation. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, Dr. Kidd completed graduate degrees at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania.

Access to college for first generation college students is a passion for Dr. Kidd and College Summit recognized her as the National Capital Region Volunteer of the year in 2012 for her work with Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC. She has also served on the boards of nonprofits working in Haiti and El Salvador.

Married to John S. Kidd, senior pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church in Washington, DC, Dr. Kidd is the parent of two adult daughters, Elizabeth and Christine.

Vesper Society Bio

Albion, California

Mr. Lorimer was first introduced to the Society in the early 1990s while a guest lecturer on business ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. He joined the Vesper Society board in 1994, served as chair from 2005–2008, and is a corporate member. He currently is chair of the investment committee and is a member of the finance committee. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, with bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration, Mr. Lorimer spent his career in manufacturing and engineering management with Procter & Gamble, Shaklee, and The Clorox Company.

Currently, he is shareholders’ representative on the board of the North Coast Brewery. In the past he has served as chair on the board of the Mendocino Christian Camp, investment director/advisor for the Mendocino Art Center and the Mendocino Presbyterian Church, chair of the California College of the Arts, vice chair of the board of the Mendocino Art Center, and member of the boards of the Albion-Little River Fire District and the Mendocino Land Trust.

Vesper Society Bio

Los Angeles, California

Mr. Mata joined the Vesper Society board in 2012 and currently serves as a member of the program committee. He is the Los Angeles director of the Transformational Urban Leadership Program at Azusa Pacific Seminary.  Prior to this appointment, he served as the urban development director for World Vision U.S. Programs, where he was responsible for guiding the department’s implementation of its Integrated Programs Model (community transformation focused on community youth development).  Mr. Mata currently serves on RAND’s Study of Urban Congregations and HIV/AIDS and QueensCare Health and Faith Partnership in Los Angeles.  In 1993, he was appointed to the Mildred M. Hutchinson Chair in Urban Ministries at the Claremont School of Theology and went on to establish the Urban Leadership Institute there, a key resource for faith-based community and leadership development efforts.

Mr. Mata did doctoral studies at the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning and Development exploring the role of religious institutions in effecting social change through community development. He holds the degree of master in city planning from the University of California at Berkeley, a master of divinity degree from the Nazarene Theological Seminary, and a master of arts in religion from Point Loma Nazarene University.

Vesper Society Bio

Hong Kong

Dr. Mitchell served as a Vesper Society board member from 2005–2011 and was reappointed to the board in 2013 and currently serves on the audit committee. She is the director of Communications and Advancement at Hong Kong Academy, an International Baccalaureate World School in Hong Kong. Dr. Mitchell has over 20 years of leadership experience in the non-profit sector, focusing on strategic planning, program management, and fundraising.

Before assuming her current role at Hong Kong Academy, she worked at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution and later led The Luther Institute, an organization which emphasized the role of faith in daily life. She has consulted to non-profits in Asia, Africa, and the United States. She holds a Ph.D. in American History from Yale University and a B.A. in Economics from Pomona College. She is also a poet and a singer, and several of her poems have been set to music and performed in the United States. Dr. Mitchell is married with two daughters.

Vesper Society Bio

Oakland, California

Mr. Reynolds first joined the board in 1999. He was elected a corporate member in 2009. He currently serves as a member of the finance and investment committees.

Mr. Reynolds is senior vice president – chief marketing officer of The Clorox Company. As CMO, he has global responsibility for all marketing functions, including brand strategy and management, personnel staffing and development, consumer insights, advanced analytics, agency management, consumer promotion, digital capabilities, media planning and buying, commercial production, and graphic design.

Before assuming this role, Mr. Reynolds was vice president – general manager, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, overseeing Clorox’s growth and brand strategies in these regions. His previous assignments included general manager, Caribbean in the International Division and marketing director, U.S. Home Care. His career at Clorox began in 1998 as an associate marketing manager.

Prior to joining Clorox, Mr. Reynolds spent five years working for General Mills in finance.  A native of Minneapolis, Reynolds holds a bachelor’s degree in English and economics from Saint Olaf College, and a master’s degree in business administration in marketing and strategy from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Vesper Society Bio

San Bruno, California

Mr. Schieber joined the Vesper Society board in 2008 and served through 2013. He was reappointed to the board in 2015 and also elected as a corporate member. Mr. Schieber is a member of the finance committee. He currently works at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco as Vice President of Strategy and Risk.  Prior to the Federal Reserve, Mr. Schieber worked for 15 years at Visa in a variety of roles that included Client Support Services, Finance, Global Strategy, and most recently as Vice President of Global Product Transformation.  Previously, Mr. Schieber worked as a strategy consultant in San Francisco, and spent eight years in Washington, DC, as a legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Richard Bryan (NV) and as a staff member on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Mr. Schieber has also been an active member of several Lutheran congregations, including serving as council president of Reformation Lutheran Church in Washington, DC, and of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco.  He received his undergraduate degree in political science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Vesper Society Bio

Portola Valley, California

Educator, psychologist, and author, Dr. Varenhorst has been a Vesper Society corporate member and board member for more than 30 years. She serves as chair of the corporate members and chair of the program committee. From 1996–1998, she was Vesper Society’s interim president, implementing the five Guatemala Round Tables in addition to other significant activities. She earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College, masters in student personnel work from Syracuse University, and Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Stanford University. She held positions of secondary school teacher, school counselor, and psychologist in the Palo Alto Unified School District, where she founded the Peer Counseling Program in 1970, which has been adopted by nearly every state in the nation. Dr. Varenhorst is a founding member of the National Peer Helpers Association and a frequent speaker to Peer Helping conferences. She is the author of Peer Ministry: A Training Manual, Real Friends: Becoming the Friend You’d Like to Have, and Peer Ministry: the Basic Curriculum.

A daughter of a Lutheran pastor, she is now a member of the Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley, California, where she co-chairs the adult education committee. She served on the national board of Search Institute in Minneapolis for 30 years. She has also taught at Harvard, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins.

Vesper Society Bio

Palo Alto, California

Dr. Judith Larsen was elected as a corporate member of Vesper Society in 2015. Professionally, she was vice president of Worldwide Research Operations for Dataquest, a Silicon Valley market research and consulting firm in the semiconductor, computer, communications and software industries. Following her years at Dataquest she was vice president for Global Marketing R&D for ACNielsen, tracking consumer industries in 93 countries. Subsequent to her corporate experience, she served as president of Vesper Society.

Dr. Larsen began her career as an engineer at Philco-Ford, later moving to American Institutes for Research where for 13 years she directed the research program on the diffusion of innovations. She founded Cognos Associates where she focused on the impact of technology on people in Silicon Valley. She co-authored the book, Silicon Valley Fever, with Dr. Everett Rogers, a Book of the Month Club selection.

She holds a B.A. degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN, a M.A. from Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Currently, she serves on the board of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley. She also served on the board of directors of Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent), the Theological Education Coordinating Committee (TECC) for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and on the Board for the Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.

Her hobbies include opera, puttering in the garden, and doing stuff with her husband Nick and assorted cats.

Vesper Society Bio

Albion, California

Mr. Lorimer was first introduced to the Society in the early 1990s while a guest lecturer on business ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. He joined the Vesper Society board in 1994, served as chair from 2005–2008, and is a corporate member. He currently is chair of the investment committee and is a member of the finance committee. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, with bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration, Mr. Lorimer spent his career in manufacturing and engineering management with Procter & Gamble, Shaklee, and The Clorox Company.

Currently, he is shareholders’ representative on the board of the North Coast Brewery. In the past he has served as chair on the board of the Mendocino Christian Camp, investment director/advisor for the Mendocino Art Center and the Mendocino Presbyterian Church, chair of the California College of the Arts, vice chair of the board of the Mendocino Art Center, and member of the boards of the Albion-Little River Fire District and the Mendocino Land Trust.

Vesper Society Bio

Oakland, California

Mr. Reynolds first joined the board in 1999. He was elected a corporate member in 2009. He currently serves as a member of the finance and investment committees.

Mr. Reynolds is senior vice president – chief marketing officer of The Clorox Company. As CMO, he has global responsibility for all marketing functions, including brand strategy and management, personnel staffing and development, consumer insights, advanced analytics, agency management, consumer promotion, digital capabilities, media planning and buying, commercial production, and graphic design.

Before assuming this role, Mr. Reynolds was vice president – general manager, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, overseeing Clorox’s growth and brand strategies in these regions. His previous assignments included general manager, Caribbean in the International Division and marketing director, U.S. Home Care. His career at Clorox began in 1998 as an associate marketing manager.

Prior to joining Clorox, Mr. Reynolds spent five years working for General Mills in finance.  A native of Minneapolis, Reynolds holds a bachelor’s degree in English and economics from Saint Olaf College, and a master’s degree in business administration in marketing and strategy from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Vesper Society Bio

San Bruno, California

Mr. Schieber joined the Vesper Society board in 2008 and served through 2013. He was reappointed to the board in 2015 and also elected as a corporate member. Mr. Schieber is a member of the finance committee. He currently works at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco as Vice President of Strategy and Risk.  Prior to the Federal Reserve, Mr. Schieber worked for 15 years at Visa in a variety of roles that included Client Support Services, Finance, Global Strategy, and most recently as Vice President of Global Product Transformation.  Previously, Mr. Schieber worked as a strategy consultant in San Francisco, and spent eight years in Washington, DC, as a legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Richard Bryan (NV) and as a staff member on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Mr. Schieber has also been an active member of several Lutheran congregations, including serving as council president of Reformation Lutheran Church in Washington, DC, and of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco.  He received his undergraduate degree in political science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Vesper Society Bio

Portola Valley, California

Educator, psychologist, and author, Dr. Varenhorst has been a Vesper Society corporate member and board member for more than 30 years. She serves as chair of the corporate members and chair of the program committee. From 1996–1998, she was Vesper Society’s interim president, implementing the five Guatemala Round Tables in addition to other significant activities. She earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College, masters in student personnel work from Syracuse University, and Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Stanford University. She held positions of secondary school teacher, school counselor, and psychologist in the Palo Alto Unified School District, where she founded the Peer Counseling Program in 1970, which has been adopted by nearly every state in the nation. Dr. Varenhorst is a founding member of the National Peer Helpers Association and a frequent speaker to Peer Helping conferences. She is the author of Peer Ministry: A Training Manual, Real Friends: Becoming the Friend You’d Like to Have, and Peer Ministry: the Basic Curriculum.

A daughter of a Lutheran pastor, she is now a member of the Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley, California, where she co-chairs the adult education committee. She served on the national board of Search Institute in Minneapolis for 30 years. She has also taught at Harvard, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins.

Vesper Society Bio

Richmond, California

Mr. Brorby has been associated with Vesper Society since its founding. An attorney and active leader in various groups related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Mr. Brorby provided legal services to the Society before joining the board in 1967. He served the board and affiliated groups in various capacities. He was the chair of the corporate members of the Society from 1992 through 2006. With a bachelor’s and law degree from the University of California at Berkeley, Mr. Brorby’s 48-year legal career focused on civil litigation. He served as general counsel for Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Pacific Southwest Synod of the Lutheran Church in America, and the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He retired in 2000. He is a member of the University Lutheran Chapel in Berkeley, California.