Peter Hero
Peter Hero is lecturer on Strategic Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University's Graduate Business School in California, and an independent international consultant in organizational development.
For 18 years prior, until December 2008, Peter was President and CEO, and then Senior Advisor, of the Community Foundation Silicon Valley, a leading voice and catalyst for innovative solutions to the region's most challenging problems. Under his leadership, the Foundation grew from a small foundation with less than $10 million in assets and only three staff to a regional center for philanthropy, with more than 600 philanthropic funds under its umbrella, including 12 supporting foundations and 25 corporate advised funds.
With extensive experience in international community foundation development, Mr. Hero has been working since 1996 in Central and Eastern Europe to build a network of community foundations in the region. In recognition of this work, Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel appointed him to the 2002 NATO Summit Council of Advisors in Prague. Mr. Hero's writing on community development and philanthropy has been published in the United States and Europe.
Prior to joining SVCF, Mr. Hero was President of the Maine College of Art, a four-year college of art and design and the largest cultural organization in northern New England, and headed the Arts Council for the state of Oregon. Mr. Hero holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, a Master of Arts degree in art history from Williams College, and an honorary doctor of law from the Maine College of Art.
