A noted philanthropist and art collector, Shamaya Gilo distinguishes herself as a woman who dares to go beyond prescribed paths.
As a director of the Gilo Family Foundation, Shamaya oversees support to projects benefiting women in science and technology, health and education programs for women and children, and programs in the arts and the environment. She is a "hands on" philanthropist, who is directly involved in the evaluation and review of grant applications and personally conducts site tours and interviews with potential grantees.
Often described as "personally inspiring", Shamaya brings passion, a deep sense of commitment and a larger vision to every undertaking.
Her talent for "creating communities" is one she honed early in life. Born in the United States, she was raised on a kibbutz in Israel. There, she served underprivileged and immigrant families, fulfilled her compulsory military service in the Israeli army and promoted peace as a political activist.
Shamaya spent several years living in Asia and South America traveling extensively and gaining insight into other cultures and women’s roles in society. This interest has grown to include an exploration of inner growth and leadership potential.
In 1998, Shamaya created the Winds of Change Foundation to realize new visions for leadership. Based on the notion that the current values and assumptions guiding leadership often exclude concerns of women, children and, ultimately, families, Winds of Change seeks to redefine future leadership. The Foundation will examine leadership as a social issue and how leaders can succeed as agents of change within public and private institutions, taking women leaders as an initial point of focus.
Shamaya has served as a Board member of the Jewish Community Center in Tokyo, and as President of the Board of Directors of the Mexican Museum of San Francisco. As President of the Board, she helped lead the Mexican Museum through a period of great change, redefining and restructuring the organization staff, developing a museum identity independent of local political forces, and empowering the local Mexican-American community. Most recently, Shamaya served on the Board of Directors of Alumnae Resources, a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to offering comprehensive career transition and management services to women and men.
Shamaya lives with her husband of 18 years, and their three children in the San Francisco Bay Area.
You can email Shamaya Gilo at shamaya@windsofchange.org
Additional Board Members Bio's will be available soon.
