Who We Are
Our Mission
Hidden Leaf promotes inner awareness within liberatory movements in order to advance a more just, ecologically healthy and compassionate society.
We believe that when organizations, leaders, movements, and foundations cultivate inner awareness and tend to the spiritual as well as the strategic, the power we build with others and the changes we engender are deeper, more lasting, and more likely to heal the historical injustices that shape our current relationship to the Earth and to each other.
Our Vision
We envision a future of joy, love, justice, and collective liberation.
In this future, power and resources are shared equitably, and everyone has the space and support they need to realize their potential, build community, weather hardships, and fulfill their dreams; people and planet exist in a sustainable relationship and society operates from a sense of sacredness and responsibility for future generations.
Our Team
Hidden Leaf is governed by a board of two family members and two community members. We have a staff of three. It is our intention to practice the value of power sharing as core to transformation, especially within our own structure. To that end, we hired our first non-family, woman-of-color Executive Director, Supriya Lopez Pillai, in 2018. As a further expression of our commitment to shifting power, we invited Supriya to join the board in 2020. The following year, we expanded our board to include Alta Starr, a somatics practitioner currently working with Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD) with deep experience in the communities that Hidden Leaf supports.
Hidden Leaf is governed by a board of two family members and two community members. We have a staff of three. It is our intention to practice the value of power sharing as core to transformation, especially within our own structure. To that end, we hired our first non-family, woman-of-color Executive Director, Supriya Lopez Pillai, in 2018. As a further expression of our commitment to shifting power, we invited Supriya to join the board in 2020. The following year, we expanded our board to include Alta Starr, a somatics practitioner currently working with Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD) with deep experience in the communities that Hidden Leaf supports.
Jenny George
Program Officer
Jenny George is Hidden Leaf’s program officer. Before she joined the foundation in 2009, she worked as program coordinator for the Seasons Fund for Social Transformation, a collaborative fund whose aim was to catalyze vibrant and effective social change movements by coupling the power of personal transformation with the public work of creating a just and sustainable world. Alongside her work in social justice philanthropy, Jenny is also a poet. She holds a Masters Degree in Poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and an undergraduate degree in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Mia Haywood
Finance and Operation
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, Mia is not just a strategist; she's the secret sauce behind success stories. With a sharp mind for project management, process optimization, customer experience, and progressive thinking, Mia navigates the dynamic world of digital marketing and execution. Hailing from Tulare, California, Mia's journey led her to the Bay Area, where was educated at California State University, Hayward, earning a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration with a minor in African American Studies. Boasting over 15 years of experience in both corporate and nonprofit realms, Mia brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. Her magic lies in turning challenges into triumphs. Mia thrives on resolving inefficiencies, constantly seeking fresh and innovative ways to elevate the client or company she collaborates with. Beyond the digital realm, Mia finds solace in the simple joys of podcasts, fairies, and quality time with her cherished family. Integrity is at the core of Mia's values, intertwined with her commitment to deep healing, spiritual practices, and personal growth.
Supriya Lopez Pillai
Executive Director and Board Member
Supriya Lopez Pillai has been dedicated to movement building in the US and Global South for more than 25 years. She joined Hidden Leaf in 2018 as their first non-family, woman of color leader. Since then, and in partnership with the staff, board and allies, the organization has more than doubled its grantmaking, increased its payout and has committed to a pathway toward liberatory philanthropy, including an integrated capital approach to giving that provides non-extractive financing alongside grants to help organizations and communities achieve economic sovereignty as key to a transformative society. Supriya’s life and work has been inspired by community organizing and grassroots social movements across the globe. She founded Vision & Ink in 2011, a consulting group that has assisted social justice movement partners in the US and abroad. From 2008-2012, she served as the Executive Director of the Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing (FCYO) to advance youth organizing as a strategy for greater social transformation. She was also the Program Officer for Asia at the International Women’s Health Coalition, where she focused on health and human rights movements led by women, girls and LGBTQI communities across the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. In 1999, Supriya received a fellowship from the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help to better understand rural women’s collectives in Guinea. In 2002, she joined PSI, an international public health organization, working and living in West Africa and Cambodia. She has served on boards including the Global Fund for Women, Political Research Associates and the Third Wave Foundation. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Inside Philanthropy, Gender and Development, The Nation and her short stories and poetry have appeared in literary outlets. From 1997-2001, she was a Senior Editor and Political Editor of the iconic Stress Magazine, a groundbreaking publication dedicated to hip-hop and the contemporary socio-political issues of the time. Supriya is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia University. She resides in the Bay Area with her partner and two daughters.
Karie Brown
Board Chair
As the Principal of KLB & Co., formally known as KB Consulting, Karie has been partnering with nonprofit organizations and foundations to promote effective philanthropy and social change for the last two decades. Through coaching, consulting, and collaboration, Karie helps her clients: clarify strategy and direction, strengthen leadership, manage successful transitions, and foster healthy organizational cultures. From 2017 – 2021, Karie served as the SVP of Grants Programs for Comic Relief USA, a new fundraising and grantmaking institution working to end child poverty in the US and around the world. Over the course of her career, Karie has held multiple senior roles in the philanthropic sector including: Interim Executive Director for the Discount Foundation; Director of Programs for Tides Foundation; Director of Programs for Katalysis North/South Development Partnership; and Executive Director for International Development Exchange. Karie has a Masters degree in regional planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an undergraduate degree in economics from Stanford. She currently serves as a trustee for Hidden Leaf Foundation, Yoga Dana Foundation, California Yoga Teachers Alliance, and Reynolds & Brown Corporation. She is a dedicated yoga practitioner and an occasional yoga teacher. She derives sustenance from nature and her three grown children.
Tara Brown
Board Treasurer and former Executive Director
Tara began her work for transformational social change with a Masters degree in Integral Anthropology (after ten years working in international community development). For six years, she directed the Institute for Deep Ecology, which articulates a mind/body/spirit worldview addressing many of today’s pressing social and environmental quandaries. Tara directed Hidden Leaf for 17 years. During this time, she also helped co-found the Seasons Fund for Social Transformation, a collaborative fund advancing transformative leadership for movement building. Tara’s current passions include surfing, dancing, and lively conversations with beloveds.
Alta Starr
Board Member
As the current Director of Training at BOLD (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity), Starr is a somatics practitioner offering coaching and bodywork to individuals, and an organizational consultant skilled in building high-performing teams and partnerships. A former teacher, counselor, and radio news producer, for 25 years, Starr also worked as a program officer and grantmaker at the New World and Ford Foundations, funding community organizing, capacity-building, and leadership development. She has served on many boards, among them the Progressive Technology Project, the Peace Development and Needmor Funds, the Seasons Fund for Social Transformation, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Jenny George
Program Officer
Jenny George is Hidden Leaf’s program officer. Before she joined the foundation in 2009, she worked as program coordinator for the Seasons Fund for Social Transformation, a collaborative fund whose aim was to catalyze vibrant and effective social change movements by coupling the power of personal transformation with the public work of creating a just and sustainable world. Alongside her work in social justice philanthropy, Jenny is also a poet. She holds a Masters Degree in Poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and an undergraduate degree in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
MIA HAYWOOD
Finance and Operation
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, Mia is not just a strategist; she's the secret sauce behind success stories. With a sharp mind for project management, process optimization, customer experience, and progressive thinking, Mia navigates the dynamic world of digital marketing and execution. Hailing from Tulare, California, Mia's journey led her to the Bay Area, where was educated at California State University, Hayward, earning a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration with a minor in African American Studies. Boasting over 15 years of experience in both corporate and nonprofit realms, Mia brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. Her magic lies in turning challenges into triumphs. Mia thrives on resolving inefficiencies, constantly seeking fresh and innovative ways to elevate the client or company she collaborates with. Beyond the digital realm, Mia finds solace in the simple joys of podcasts, fairies, and quality time with her cherished family. Integrity is at the core of Mia's values, intertwined with her commitment to deep healing, spiritual practices, and personal growth.
Supriya Lopez Pillai
Executive Director and Board Member
Supriya Lopez Pillai has been dedicated to movement building in the US and Global South for more than 25 years. She joined Hidden Leaf in 2018 as their first non-family, woman of color leader. Since then, and in partnership with the staff, board and allies, the organization has more than doubled its grantmaking, increased its payout and has committed to a pathway toward liberatory philanthropy, including an integrated capital approach to giving that provides non-extractive financing alongside grants to help organizations and communities achieve economic sovereignty as key to a transformative society. Supriya’s life and work has been inspired by community organizing and grassroots social movements across the globe. She founded Vision & Ink in 2011, a consulting group that has assisted social justice movement partners in the US and abroad. From 2008-2012, she served as the Executive Director of the Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing (FCYO) to advance youth organizing as a strategy for greater social transformation. She was also the Program Officer for Asia at the International Women’s Health Coalition, where she focused on health and human rights movements led by women, girls and LGBTQI communities across the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. In 1999, Supriya received a fellowship from the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help to better understand rural women’s collectives in Guinea. In 2002, she joined PSI, an international public health organization, working and living in West Africa and Cambodia. She has served on boards including the Global Fund for Women, Political Research Associates and the Third Wave Foundation. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Inside Philanthropy, Gender and Development, The Nation and her short stories and poetry have appeared in literary outlets. From 1997-2001, she was a Senior Editor and Political Editor of the iconic Stress Magazine, a groundbreaking publication dedicated to hip-hop and the contemporary socio-political issues of the time. Supriya is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia University. She resides in the Bay Area with her partner and two daughters.
Karie Brown
Board Chair
As the Principal of KLB & Co., formally known as KB Consulting, Karie has been partnering with nonprofit organizations and foundations to promote effective philanthropy and social change for the last two decades. Through coaching, consulting, and collaboration, Karie helps her clients: clarify strategy and direction, strengthen leadership, manage successful transitions, and foster healthy organizational cultures. From 2017 – 2021, Karie served as the SVP of Grants Programs for Comic Relief USA, a new fundraising and grantmaking institution working to end child poverty in the US and around the world. Over the course of her career, Karie has held multiple senior roles in the philanthropic sector including: Interim Executive Director for the Discount Foundation; Director of Programs for Tides Foundation; Director of Programs for Katalysis North/South Development Partnership; and Executive Director for International Development Exchange. Karie has a Masters degree in regional planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an undergraduate degree in economics from Stanford. She currently serves as a trustee for Hidden Leaf Foundation, Yoga Dana Foundation, California Yoga Teachers Alliance, and Reynolds & Brown Corporation. She is a dedicated yoga practitioner and an occasional yoga teacher. She derives sustenance from nature and her three grown children.
Tara Brown
Board Treasurer and former Executive Director
Tara began her work for transformational social change with a Masters degree in Integral Anthropology (after ten years working in international community development). For six years, she directed the Institute for Deep Ecology, which articulates a mind/body/spirit worldview addressing many of today’s pressing social and environmental quandaries. Tara directed Hidden Leaf for 17 years. During this time, she also helped co-found the Seasons Fund for Social Transformation, a collaborative fund advancing transformative leadership for movement building. Tara’s current passions include surfing, dancing, and lively conversations with beloveds.
Alta Starr
Board Member
As the current Director of Training at BOLD (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity), Starr is a somatics practitioner offering coaching and bodywork to individuals, and an organizational consultant skilled in building high-performing teams and partnerships. A former teacher, counselor, and radio news producer, for 25 years, Starr also worked as a program officer and grantmaker at the New World and Ford Foundations, funding community organizing, capacity-building, and leadership development. She has served on many boards, among them the Progressive Technology Project, the Peace Development and Needmor Funds, the Seasons Fund for Social Transformation, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Core Partners
Full Spectrum is an incubator-accelerator that brings people, ideas, and capital together to grow regenerative economies powered by impactful solutions. FSL works to build ecosystems and marketplaces for innovation that lift up solutions and leaders emerging from communities that have been marginalized historically. By building innovation clusters in communities and connecting them to communities of capital stewards with a commitment to social and ecological impact, they make it easy to come together and align growing financial value with our deepest shared values.
RBC Wealth Management is a values-based investment manager with a focus on sustainability and philanthropic giving.
Certified Public Accountants is a full service accounting firm offering a broad range of services for business owners, executives, and professionals.
Nathan Naik Shara, MSW is a somatic therapist, writer and teacher whose work focuses on the intersections of individual healing and structural transformation. Nathan is a lead teacher and practitioner with generative somatics, bringing embodied transformation to social and environmental justice leaders, organizations and alliances. He is also a senior teacher for Strozzi Institute, offering courses on embodied leadership, somatic bodywork, and trauma, as well as leading SI’s teacher training program. Nathan maintains a small private practice in Oakland, CA. His recent essay “Facing Shame: From Saying Sorry to Doing Sorry” can be found in the anthology Beyond Survival: Stories and Strategies from the Transformative Justice Movement, edited by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha and Ejeris Dixon (AK Press, 2020).
Our Founder
David (Dave) Brown was born in 1936 and grew up in the small farming community of Walnut Grove, California. After studying agricultural economics at Berkeley, David decided to apply his business acumen toward real estate. With his partner, Jon Reynolds, Dave founded Reynolds & Brown, a Concord-based company that quickly grew into a successful commercial real estate development firm. Reynolds & Brown’s success continues to provide the core of Hidden Leaf’s assets. At age 35, Dave began to look inwards to find deeper meaning beyond the success he had already realized. Inspired by Buddhist meditative practice, he embarked on a decades-long pursuit of spiritual discipline and awareness, which led him to an interest in philanthropy. Dave was a generous spirit throughout his lifetime. The creation of the Hidden Leaf Foundation (in 1988) was an outcome of his desire to support organizations doing good work and creating transformational social change. When he passed in 2013, David endowed Hidden Leaf with 90 percent of what he owned. This decision flowed from his commitment to mindfulness and presence; he envisioned a place where his family could come together to be in conscious relationship to wealth and to the world. David’s daughters worked closely with him to develop the foundation, and continue to dedicate their time to carrying on Hidden Leaf’s commitment to growing space for inner awareness in social justice and environmental work. We are grateful for Dave’s legacy, vision and passion for helping everyone access the power that is hidden in all of us.
from our grantees
