We are a group of people committed to the
principled notion that great ideas and great
programs can make a better life for the
children of our state and our world.

Steve Westly is the Founder and Managing Director of the Westly Group, one of the nation’s largest renewable energy venture capital firms.  The Westly Group has eight investment professionals in Menlo Park and in Beijing.  The Westly Group has invested in Tesla Motors, Amyris, Revolution Foods, and other high growth companies that are changing the world.

Before launching his firm, Mr. Westly was California State Controller where he served as the chief financial officer for the world’s sixth largest economy.   Prior to that,  Mr. Westly served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing, Business Development and International at eBay during its period of most rapid growth.  Mr. Westly also served as the California Co-Chair for President Obama’s 2008 campaign, and served on the Faculty at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business for five eyars.

Mr. Westly has a BA and MBA from Stanford University.

Co-founder Anita Yu came to philanthropy after raising her own children to enhance the lives of children and youth all across California and beyond. Working with the foundation on strategic issues, her experience as a tech sector professional, as well as her experience as a parent leads her to create strategies which lay the groundwork for the overall, long-term success of the Foundation. Born in Hong Kong, Anita holds a B.S. from San Diego State University.

Executive Director Dave Viotti brings a depth of experience in social entrepreneurship and philanthropy to the work of the Westly Foundation. He’s especially interested in collective impact, cross-sector collaboration and the promise of technology to improve human lives. In addition to his work at Westly, Dave co-founded Little Bets Labs, which builds innovation capabilities in corporate and non-profit organizations and is a regular lecturer on leadership and innovation on the faculty of the Executive Leadership Program at the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Previous roles include CEO of the Junior Statesmen Foundation and Chief Learning Officer (USA) of Sun Microsystems. Dave holds B.A. and J.D. from Georgetown University, has worked in international corporate law, was an Allbritton Scholar with an M.A. in international relations from Oxford University and served as Henry Luce Scholar in Hong Kong.