SPOTLIGHT ON…Fran Maier

…..Board President Fran Maier

This new column will feature people who make Children’s Council a vibrant organization.

It started two years ago with a chance meeting at a local restaurant. Children’s Council Executive Director Sandee Blechman started chatting with Fran Maier, who was reading Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg on her iPhone. That conversation eventually led to Fran’s joining Children’s Council’s Board of Directors.

Fast-forward to today and Fran is the Board Chair. A Stanford MBA, serial entrepreneur, co-founder of Match.com and founder of the Internet privacy company TRUSTe – Fran has always been drawn to helping mothers stay in the workforce. “Women who drop out of the workforce pay a heavy price career-wise,” commented Fran.

Remembering her own experience, she said, “When we were starting Match.com 20 years ago, I had two young children. I used Bananas (Oakland’s counterpart to Children’s Council) to find family child care. I found a very good provider and met some other parents who became close friends. Our kids were all raised together.”

So Fran understands that parents in general, and women in particular, need access to child care so they can work. As a seasoned member of both corporate and nonprofit boards, she also has a deep understanding of the role boards play in an organization’s success.

“I want to support Children’s Council in expanding services. To do that I am hoping the board will continue to focus on fundraising and increasing visibility,” Fran said. “I’d like Children’s Council to be one of the top nonprofits in the city when it comes to addressing inequality and poverty in an impactful way.”

In her short tenure at Children’s Council, Fran has worked to demystify fundraising by encouraging board members to share their passion for Children’s Council’s mission with their social and professional networks.

Professionally, Fran works to support women in leadership roles in tech and venture capital companies. She also serves on the leadership team for the Stanford Women on Boards Initiative to help prepare alumnae to serve on corporate boards.

To see Fran in action, check out her response to the recent Ellen Pao gender discrimination verdict on PBS.