Who We Are

Renee Spooner

Chief Marketing Officer

The Graybird Foundation clients inspire Renée to dig deep and make bold marketing moves on their behalf.  After a successful Silicon Valley career in high-tech marketing, she now combines her skills in branding, communications and project management with her passion to mentor nonprofit professionals. Clients on the Graybird roster include Berkeley Symphony, Crystal Springs Upland School, Foundation for a College Education, Gatepath, Golden State Youth Orchestra, LifeMoves, Reach for Home, and Surviving Skokie.

As Chief Marketing Office at Graybird Foundation, Renée is responsible for guiding client marketing strategy, bringing together skilled teams, and mentoring clients as they take ownership of their new brands.  She draws from a background in public relations, customer marketing and product launches, with previous management roles at Silicon Graphics, BEA/Oracle and VMware, and consulting with numerous startups.  Renée’s evolution into the nonprofit sector is her way of giving back.

Helen Boyer

Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer of Graybird Foundation, Helen manages business operations, finance and our grant process. She collaborates with project teams, contributing to strategic planning and development of creative solutions that drive the foundation’s programs and goals.

Helen brings two decades of management and operations experience to Graybird, spanning the corporate, non-profit, public and private sectors. Having lived internationally and travelled to more than 25 countries, she has a diverse professional background ranging from leadership roles in product planning, distribution and process management to assisting underserved children in Ecuador, Costa Rica and Vietnam. Helen’s volunteer service deeply informs her life practice. She is honored to help individuals and small enterprises in her community, in addition to her work at Graybird.

Helen graduated from UC Davis, with a BS in Textile Science. When she isn’t at Graybird Foundation you’ll find her riding her bike to the beach, listening to jazz at her favorite café, or up-cycling a new find. And, plagued with a serious case of wanderlust, she is always planning the next stamp for her passport. See Helen’s full professional background on LinkedIn.

Shelley Willig

Head of Education Practice

Shelley is obsessed with education; she believes that increasing the percentage of young people earning college degrees is a solution to many of the major issues plaguing our country today. Combining her 20 years in high-tech marketing with her role as Head of Education Practice at Graybird, Shelley is elated to lead projects for community based organizations working hard to get more students to and through college.

Since 2006, Shelley has been deeply involved in education nonprofits. She manages the volunteer college advising program at Foundation for a College Education where she also works directly with students. Shelley serves on the board of Mid-Peninsula High School, a CAIS school in Menlo Park. Prior to joining Graybird Foundation, Shelley served eight years as the Director of Admission at Trinity School, an independent elementary institution.

Shelley holds a BA in Communications from CSU Fullerton, and a certificate in College Admissions Counseling from UC Berkeley. When she is not touring college campuses, Shelley enjoys hiking, cooking, and dinners on the patio with her husband and four sons.

Gisela Vargas

Marketing Specialist

Gisela loves to channel her creativity through music, photography, and graphic design. In college she gave back to the community by helping the homeless population raise their spirits with music. She enjoyed visiting children in shelters to teach them music, performing at shelters, and helping feed families. In her free time, she likes to make music with friends, explore new places in the Bay Area, travel, and spend time with family.

As a Marketing Specialist at Graybird Foundation, Gisela is responsible for marketing execution, client research, social media strategy, website development and event planning. She has a deep appreciation for marketing and is excited to help nonprofits leverage marketing to further reach and benefit the community.

Gisela holds a BA in Economics and Marketing from the University of California, Riverside.

Natalie Occhipinti

Marketing Specialist

Natalie was born and raised in the Bay Area, attending Trinity School and Castilleja. She left California for college, attending the University of Colorado Boulder where she earned BA in Ecology and Environmental Biology and a minor in Religious Studies.

Natalie chose to study both science and religion in her college career. While gaining a deep understanding of the world’s ecosystems through research projects and lecture, Natalie simultaneously expanded her knowledge of worldly affairs and historical communities by writing and engaging in discussion with her peers and professors. Along with her studies, Natalie enjoyed exploring Colorado. Now she’s back in the Bay Area, working with Graybird as our Marketing Specialist. She brings a unique, analytical perspective to our office.

As Marketing Specialist, Natalie conducts client research, compiles research results and manages interview schedules. She schedules, prepares and attends client meetings, presentations and events, while also reviewing and providing input on all Graybird projects.

Outside of work, Natalie enjoys traveling, painting, and spending time with her friends and family.