Staff of Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation
At Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation (SVMHF), we are proud to
employ a passionate team of development professionals, dedicated to assisting
the Board to raise funds, ensuring that SVMHS can continue providing exceptional
healthcare to our community.
Learn more about our staff below:
Jeff Wardwell
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Jeff is a fifth-generation resident of the central coast and the second
in his family to have led our Foundation board. After nearly 10 years
of volunteering for the Foundation, with his last two as Chair of the
Board, Jeff stepped down and officially joined our staff in 2019 to head
up our community engagement efforts and lead our Major & Planned Giving
programs. Bringing more than 20 years of leadership and fundraising experience
in addition to strong community ties, Jeff has now accepted a new role,
stepping up to the helm of our Foundation as the Chief Philanthropy Officer
for the Healthcare System.
Altruism through civic and community engagement have always been culture
for Jeff, and the strong relationships that this belief system builds
are what he feels are at the heart of philanthropy. As a former Firefighter/Paramedic
here in Monterey County, along with his past service as a member of Salinas
Valley Memorial Healthcare System’s Subject Matter Expert Committee
for Community Advocacy, the health care and economic challenges this community
faces land at the front of Jeff’s mind. Serving now in this new
role as Chief Philanthropy Officer, he will lead our Foundation, as well
as continue to build on the philanthropic culture of the Healthcare System
while remaining engaged in our community where he and his wife and three
daughters, all of whom born at SVMH, live and play.
Jeff can be reached at (831) 759-1880 or by email at
jwardwell@svmh.com.
Melissa Gross
Director of Operations
Melissa is the third generation in her family to call Salinas 'home'
and is raising a fourth. She attended Hartnell College, CSU Monterey Bay
and graduated from Golden Gate University with a BA in Management. She
joined Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System in 2008 and became part
of the Foundation’s staff in 2010. Since that time she has held
a variety of roles in the Foundation, including managing the CMN Hospitals
Program for 7 years and most recently taking on the role of Director of
Operations.
Melissa is passionate about her work in philanthropy and believes strongly
in the impact of local fundraising. That impact became especially meaningful
to her after the birth of her youngest daughter, who has special health
needs and has used many of SVMHS' pediatric and diagnostic services.
Having a dual perspective as both a fundraiser and the parent of a patient
has given Melissa a special appreciation for the resources that the Foundation
helps to provide for the local community.
Melissa can be reached at (831) 755-0777 or email at
mgross@svmh.com.
Sheri Dawes, CFRE
Development Services Manager
Sheri joined the foundation in 1995, and has been maintaining financial,
statistical and donor data, supervising database management, planning
and preparing special events and researching and preparing grant applications
for 23 years. In 2013, she became a Certified Fund Raising Executive,
joining an elite group of fundraising professionals. Sheri is also Blackbaud
Certified in the Raiser’s Edge, is a graduate of Leadership Salinas
Valley and has served on numerous local boards. Having been born at Salinas
Valley Memorial Hospital and spending the first two months of her life
in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sheri knows what a difference the
health system makes in people’s lives. Through her work at the foundation,
she strives to bring families in the Salinas Valley the very best care.
Sheri can be reached at (831) 759-1823 or email at
sdawes@svmh.com.
Amanda da Graca
Individual Giving Manager
Amanda is the newest addition to the Foundation team, bringing 15 years
of fundraising experience and a great enthusiasm for healthcare philanthropy.
Originally from Hollister and a graduate of CSU Monterey Bay, Amanda now
calls Monterey County home, where she is currently raising her two children.
Since jumping into the non-profit fundraising world in 2005, she has taken
on a wide variety of roles, including annual giving, donor relations and
stewardship, major giving, special campaigns, and events. Having spent
the majority of her career in healthcare fundraising, she understands
the importance of cultivating a strong relationship between the community
and the hospital. Stepping into the role of Individual Giving Manager,
Amanda will help the Foundation in its mission to advance state-of-the-art
healthcare and deliver what's truly needed to create a healthier future for all.
Amanda can be reached at (831) 755-0795 or email at adagraca@svmh.com.
Jaime Shipman
Administrative Assistant
Jaime joined the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System in 1988 and
became a part of the Foundation’s staff in 2013. She works with
the Board of Governors, Foundation Staff, and donors. Jaime assists the
Foundation in its efforts to support Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare
System in its mission to improve the health and well-being of the local
community. Jaime was born at SVMH along with her husband and their three
daughters. She knows the importance of the NICU, and Pediatric services
offered at SVMHS having had her own daughters as patients over the years.
Jaime is a vital part of the Foundation Staff in helping to create the
healthiest impact on the lives of so many in the Salinas Valley.
Jaime can be reached at (831) 759-1880 or email at
jshipman@svmh.com.