Sparks

Sparks (she/her) values and is deeply committed to promoting equity in the nonprofit and for-profit social impact sectors based on her experience as a queer, multi-racial, next-generation woman in the field of philanthropy. She is currently Executive Director of the Masto Foundation, a US-based family foundation rooted in the Japanese-American community. Prior to taking on the leadership of her family’s foundation, Sparks worked in philanthropy for 12 years and founded Queer Leaders in Philanthropy, a national network of philanthropic professionals focused on changing the culture of philanthropy to be more empowering of LGBTQ communities. Sparks has a BA from Vassar College, an MSW from UC Berkeley, and just completed her MBA at the University of Washington. She lives in San Francisco with her adorable Morkie named Panda and travels up to Washington State regularly for work with the Foundation.