Silicon Valley Board Members
David Elkins (Board Chair)
David is an intellectual property litigation partner in Squire Sanders & Dempsey (US) LLP's Palo Alto office, from which he leads the firm's global Intellectual Property & Technology Practice. David migrated from Los Angeles to attend U.C. Berkeley and later U.C. Davis School of Law. A longtime resident of Menlo Park, David and his wife Leah are products and strong proponents of the California public school and university systems and have been actively involved in their children's local public schools, including the Summit public charter high schools in the Sequoia Union School District. David's involvement in and support of Playworks grew out of his desire to make a greater community impact through personal involvement. Playworks Silicon Valley's annual Corporate Kickball Challenge gives David an opportunity to recapture the playground glory of his elementary school years and to exercise muscles he forgot he had.
Dena Evans
Dena is an active running competitor and coach of recreational and elite runners of all ages. In addition to chasing after her two daughters, she recently co-founded the Bay Area Running Camp for youth and adults, directs the New Balance Silicon Valley post-collegiate running club, and works with Focus-N-Fly, an internet start-up that brings quality distance coaching to the masses. In recent years, Dena has been Project Coordinator for Professor Deborah Rhode's Stanford Center on the Legal Profession and served as the Peninsula Program Coordinator for the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative, helping establish after school fitness programs for girls in underserved schools. The 2003 NCAA Division I Cross Country Coach of the Year, Dena spent six years on the track and field/cross country coaching staff at Stanford University. She was a three time All-American in the middle distances on the track at Stanford, and remains among the Cardinal's all time leaders in career assists in soccer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in American Studies and a Master's in Secondary Education from the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP). Dena is married to Playworks National Board Member Marlon Evans, who works in Global Social Innovation for Hewlett-Packard.
Kevin Fugere
Kevin joins us from Cisco Systems. At Cisco, Kevin works in operations where he is responsible for helping drive a new and strategic product to market. Kevin is excited to join the board this year because the Playworks mission statement and Cisco’s playful culture go hand-in-hand. Giving back has always been very important not only to Kevin, but to Cisco as well. Kevin’s goal is to help the two organizations work together more closely to bring more play into the local community. Kevin received his BA in Business Administration from Loyala Marymount. University.
Calvin Gordon, MD
Cal is a pediatrician and Assistant Physician-in-Chief for Health Promotion and Technology at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. He has also been the lead physician of the Northern California Region Young Adult Initiative since 2006. His prior work with The Permanente Medical Group includes serving as Chief of Pediatrics at his medical center, leading the design and implementation of the Regional Appointments and Advice Call Center, the development of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Centers and regional Sleep Medicine Lab and the on-site placement of KP medical services at Cisco's LifeConnections Health Center. His website is www.kp.org/mydoctor/calvingordon.
Jan Kang
Jan Kang is vice president, general counsel and secretary for Cupertino Electric, Inc. where she oversees the company’s legal department and philanthropic efforts. While at Cupertino Electric, Jan has helped establish the company’s Power in Giving Group (PIGG), an employee-run philanthropic committee, and helped lead one of the company’s largest donation campaigns. In her role as general counsel and as an officer of the company, Jan has been instrumental in growing CEI’s core business. Prior to joining Cupertino Electric, Jan was general counsel for a number of high technology companies, including Asera, Inc., Myteam, Inc., and Prism Solutions, Inc., and was associate general counsel at Lam Research Corporation. She holds a degree in Philosophy, Logic of Formal Systems, from Stanford University and a J.D. from the University Of Michigan School Of Law. She is a member of the Silicon Valley Association of General Counsel and the American Bar Association.
Brian Schmaedick
Brian is principal of Goss Elementary in San Jose, one of the first schools in Silicon Valley to bring in Playworks. Before joining Goss, he taught at Alum Rock school and held administrative positions at Hubbard and Chavez Elementary schools. Brian graduated from the University of Oregon with a Business Management Degree before joining the Peace Corps and heading off to Costa Rica for two years of service where he became fluent in Spanish. Upon returning, he served as the manager of emergency shelter programs for the homeless in Phoenix and San Francisco before moving to the South Bay and stepping into the world of public education.
