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Fresno Regional Foundation appoints three new board members

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 30, 2015

 

Media Contacts:   

Hugh J Ralston, President and CEO; 559-226-5600 x101; [email protected]

Fresno Regional Foundation appoints three new board members

Fresno, CA— Fresno Regional Foundation (FRF) announces the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors. Joining the Board of Directors starting January 2015 are Kenneth Fransen, Mas Masumoto, and Dr. Alan Pierrot.

“All three of our newest Board members embody the spirit of community and bring a broad range of expertise and energy to the table. We are very fortunate to have them as ambassadors for the Foundation as we continue to expand opportunities for philanthropy to strengthen the San Joaquin Valley,” said FRF Board Chair Carole Andersen.

Kenneth Fransen

Kenneth Fransen co-founded Bolen Fransen Sawyers LLP in 1987. Fransen’s expertise covers a wide variety of matters, emphasizing estate and succession planning, business and real estate, and agricultural law. In his work, he particularly enjoys weaving the requirements of income and estate tax laws, practical realities, and regulatory provisions into a unified plan that integrates client goals.  He has written articles and spoken widely on transactional matters, and has been an adjunct professor of law at the San Joaquin College of Law.

Fransen has been active in many groups and organizations, and has been president and/or board chair of many of them, including Fresno Pacific University, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County, Rotary, and Habitat for Humanity Fresno, Inc.        

Mas Masumoto

Mas Masumoto is a third generation farmer growing organic peaches, nectarines, and raisins on an 80 acre farm south of Fresno, California. An award winning writer, Masumoto has authored best-selling books including:  Epitaph for a Peach, Wisdom of the Last Farmer, Heirlooms, Letters to the Valley, Four Seasons in Five Senses, Harvest Son, Country Voices, and Silent Strength. He, along with his wife, Marcy, and daughter, Nikiko, published a family farm cookbook, The Perfect Peach, in 2013. Changing Season, a feature documentary about the theme of succession on a family farm, will be featured at film festivals and nationally broadcasted by PBS in May 2016. Masumoto is a regular columnist for The Fresno Bee and the Sacramento Bee.

Prior to joining the Fresno Regional Foundation’s Board, Masumoto served on the board of the James Irvine Foundation from 2002-2014. He is the former chair of the California Council for the Humanities board. In 2013, President Obama appointed Masumoto to the National Council on the Arts, the board for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Alan Pierrot

Alan Pierrot, M.D. is a retired orthopedic surgeon, entrepreneur, and founder and former CEO of Fresno Surgical Hospital.  The 1991 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California, Dr. Pierrot has launched a number of successful companies, all characterized by exceptional customer service and operational excellence.

A past president of the medical staff at Fresno Community Hospital, Dr. Pierrot has 30 years of board and management experience in for-profit, private, and publicly traded institutions as well as many CBOs.  An expert in the surgical hospital model, Dr. Pierrot has testified before both Senate and House congressional committees.

“These three board members join the Foundation at an exciting time,” noted Andersen. “With a new CEO and several initiatives underway to strengthen the Foundation’s work, reach, and impact, we look forward to their contributions to our mission in coming years. We are grateful for their service to our region and their leadership.”

FRF Board of Directors serve a three year term.

About the Fresno Regional Foundation

Founded in 1966, FRF improves the quality of life in the San Joaquin Valley through philanthropy. It serves Fresno, Madera, Merced, Mariposa, Tulare, and Kings Counties.

FRF is the trusted link between donors and organizations investing in permanent, high-impact initiatives for the San Joaquin Valley. The Foundation holds assets of over $62 million and awarded over $9.7 million in total grants in 2014.

For more information about the Fresno Regional Foundation, please visit http://www.fresnoregfoundation.org or call 559-226-5600.

 

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