Iris Brest – Special Counsel
Iris joins the Foundation for a one-year term, pro bono, as Special Counsel on legal issues related to grants, contracts and compliance with legal requirements. She will also assess the Foundation's needs for permanent inside counsel. She reports to Vice President Susan Bell and works with Grants Administration and program staff. (To avoid the potential conflict of interest arising out of her relationship to the president of the Foundation, her appointment was approved by the Board of Directors in absence of the president, and her scope of responsibilities delimited in accordance with the advice of outside counsel.)

Iris spent more than two decades at Stanford University in various counsel roles from 1969 through 1995, most recently serving as Associate General Counsel from 1989 to 1995, where she specialized in nonprofit law. She holds an A.B. with honors from Swarthmore College, and an LLB cum laude from Harvard Law School. 

Since leaving the University, Iris has served as Vice President and General Counsel for SyStemix and General Counsel for StemCells, Inc. both Bay Area-based biotech companies.

Christie Zarkovich– Associate Director for Public Investments
Before she came to the Hewlett Foundation, Christie was Associate Director of Investments with the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust, where she was responsible for the Trust's Real Assets investment program and portfolio asset allocation and risk management efforts. Before joining the Trust in 2003, she carried out corporate and energy-trading risk management functions for Xcel Energy and AGL Resources; her career began in 1996 in the Research Department at the New York Mercantile Exchange. She holds an M.S. in finance and an M.B.A. from the University of Denver, a B.S. in economics from the Colorado School of Mines, and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Sohie He – Senior Accountant, Systems and Administrative Expenses
Sophie brings over ten years of diversified accounting experience to her new role at the Foundation, experience she most recently acquired as the Senior Business Analyst of a large software company. She received an M.B.A. and an M.S. in accounting from the University of Oklahoma. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling.

Brian Hendrickson – Senior Network/Systems Engineer
The former Senior IT Manager at Southwall Technologies—a leading innovator in the development and manufacture of high-performance, energy-saving films and glass products—Brian has more than twelve years’ experience in network administration and project management. He has several Microsoft certifications; a B.A. in economics from the University of California, San Diego; and a strong background in vendor relations and customer service. Brian is also an avid trail runner.