SAN JOSE, Calif., August 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Valley FACES, formerly known as the Silicon Valley Conference for Community & Justice, today announced that its board of trustees has named Pat Mitchell, the former Director of the Office of Parish and Planning of the Catholic Diocese of San Jose, to serve as executive director of the Silicon Valley- based nonprofit effective immediately.  Mitchell, a member of the Sisters for Christian Community, currently serves as a committee chair for the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management and serves on the National Advisory Board of the Center for the Study of Church Management, Villanova School of Business.

“Pat brings a new breed of leadership that will galvanize our talented and dedicated staff and provide visibility to our organization’s Victim Witness program and our unique educational programs focusing on youth” said board chair Gordon Yamate, the former vice president and general counsel of Knight Ridder.  Echoing these thoughts, “Pat’s experience in guiding more than 50 parishes, all having diverse challenges, will catapult Silicon Valley FACES to a new level in delivering critical services to the Silicon Valley community” commented Don Watters, Emeritus Director of McKinsey & Co. and former board chair of United Way Silicon Valley, who worked with Mitchell on projects for the Diocese.  “Pat is a proven leader and communicator—Silicon Valley FACES is fortunate to have recruited an individual with her talents and credibility” Watters said.  That sentiment was echoed by Patricia Gardner, Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits.  “Pat is an excellent choice to lead this organization that has served this community so well on issues of diversity and fighting discrimination and bias” Gardner said.

Mitchell replaces Bart Charlow, who informed the board in mid-June of his plans to retire from Silicon Valley FACES.  “We want to publicly acknowledge our appreciation for Bart’s contributions and work on behalf of the organization over the last six years” Yamate said.

Silicon Valley FACES has been bringing people together to build a better community for more than 43 years.  Originally founded as the Silicon Valley regional office of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, Silicon Valley FACES is a non-profit human relations organization that has led the fight against bigotry, racism and exclusion in the Bay Area and Northern California.  Silicon Valley FACES became an independent organization in 2005, incorporated at that time as the Silicon Valley Conference for Community & Justice.  The organization empowers people of diverse backgrounds to build just communities where each person is treated with respect and understanding.

We're celebrating our new name!
SVCCJ is becoming Silicon Valley FACES
"Our faces are different, our needs are the same:
Equality, respect & justice!"