Carole Leigh Hutton
President and CEO

Carole Leigh was named President and CEO of United Way Silicon Valley in February  2008.  Prior to joining United Way, Carole Leigh was vice president and executive editor of the San Jose Mercury News.  She had previously served as vice president of news for Knight Ridder, leaving when the company was sold in June 2006.  Earlier, she was publisher and editor of the Detroit Free Press, a former Knight Ridder newspaper in Detroit, Michigan.  Carole Leigh also has extensive experience in the non-profit arena, having actively served on the Board of Directors of seven organizations.  She was a founding member of the Women's Leadership Forum Board of Directors in Detroit and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan. Carole Leigh, who has lived in San Jose since 2005, graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and has participated in numerous professional development activities, including Community Leadership San Jose (Class XVIII).

Kim Reeves
Sr. Vice President, Resource Development

After receiving BA and MA degrees in Political Science from George Washington University and West Virginia University respectively, Kim commenced an 18-year career with Xerox Corporation in which she held various positions in both sales and service throughout the U.S.  Upon leaving Xerox in 2002 Kim joined United Way Silicon Valley for a five month period as a volunteer focused on New Business Development efforts.  During this time she acquired a passion for non-profit work and in 2003 began her career with United Way as Manager of Workplace Campaign for Orange County United Way in Irvine, CA.  During Kim's tenure in Orange County she was promoted to various positions, the last being Vice President, Investor Relations.  In December 2007, Kim relocated to San Jose after accepting the position of Senior Vice President, Resource Development at United Way Silicon Valley.  

Gary Rummelhoff
Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer

Gary joined United Way Silicon Valley in March 2002 from @POS.Com, Inc., a San Jose company involved in secure interactive electronic transaction technology for which he was CFO, Vice President of Operations and Corporate Secretary . Prior to that he was acting CFO and Corporate Secretary of Advantest America, a semiconductor equipment manufacturer. Gary began his career as a CPA with KPMG in St. Louis. He is active in the community, having held several board positions with foundations and nonprofits. In addition, he currently serves as an elected Trustee on the Santa Clara County Board of Education (2004-2008). Previously he served two terms (1996-2004) as an elected Trustee on the San Jose Unified Board of Education. He received his BSBA from University of Missouri - Columbia and his MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Amari Romero-Thomas
Sr. Vice President, Community Building & Impact

Amari Romero-Thomas brings to United Way a diverse background of talent and knowledge in both the nonprofit and private sectors. Prior to joining UWSV in 2005, Amari was the Executive Director for Sacred Heart Community Service and held positions as a Senior Consultant for Compass Point Nonprofit Services. Her private sector experience includes over 20 years in Organizational Development, Sales and Consulting. Amari holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arizona State University with a special emphasis in International Relations. In addition, she is bilingual and bicultural in Spanish, having been born in Santiago, Chile.

Lisa Sorge
Director, Marketing & Communications

Before moving into the not-for-profit sector, Lisa spent more than a decade at public relations agencies in Los Angeles and Toronto, managing corporate accounts in the consumer electronics arena. Beginning in 2002, Lisa transferred her marketing and communications skills to address community visibility and branding needs for local non-profits Peninsula Habitat for Humanity and ALLIANCE for Community Care. An avid hiker, she created, “Simple Adventures,” an outdoor program that teaches children who live in shelters respect for nature through no-cost field trips. Lisa earned a Business Administration degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto with emphasis on Business Computer Information Systems.

Tori Hobbs
Director, Campaign 

A native of Ojai, CA, Tori lived in New Mexico for 25 years before joining United Way Silicon Valley in August 2007.  Prior to her move to the South Bay, Tori was the Development Director for the Anderson Schools of Management at the University of New Mexico.  She graduated from the Anderson Schools in 1998 in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.  As a student, she volunteered with the United Way of Central New Mexico and upon graduation began her non-profit fundraising career there as a Development Officer. She was Campaign Director in 2003 and 2004, when the United Way of Central New Mexico lead the United Way system in fundraising increases. 

Toni Ensunsa
Director, Investments & Stability Programs

A San Jose native, Toni received her degree in Sociology from San Jose State University with a certificate in Gerontology. She joined United Way Silicon Valley in 1991 after three years as Program Director for Montefiore Senior Center in San Francisco. Most of Toni's United Way tenure has been with Community and Agency Services. When Toni first joined United Way she was an Information & Referral Specialist for United Way’s First Call for Help, so it has been personally rewarding to see the program evolve into what is now 2-1-1 Santa Clara County.

Patrick Soricone
Director, Evaluation & Self-Sufficiency Programs

Patrick Soricone has extensive experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, including three years as Executive Director of the Billy DeFrank LGBT Center in San Jose. He has had long associations with United Ways in Washington State, including Everett where he served as President/CEO for United Way of Snohomish County. During his tenure, he was instrumental in the transition to the Community Impact model, and managing several award-winning community impact initiatives. A native of Rochester, NY, he earned a BA Degree in Political Science from Hobart College and a Masters Degree in Administration & Planning from the School of Social Work at University of Washington.

Mark Tolley
Director, Operations

Mark Tolley joined United Way Silicon Valley as the Associate Director of Major Gifts in November 2003. He took over administration of the Information Technology department in April 2005 and was given the added oversight of United Way's building with his promotion to Director of Operations in May 2007. Previously, Mark worked in the Major Gifts department of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati from 1999-2003. A native of Cincinnati, OH, he earned a BA in History from Swarthmore College in Philadelphia.

Rex C. Painter
Director, 2-1-1 Santa Clara County Program

Rex joined United Way Silicon Valley in February 2008 with more than 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and local human service community.  He was previously the Chief Community Services Officer for the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, responsible for all community programs including Health and Safety Services, Youth Services International Social Services; Armed Forces Emergency Services; Volunteer Services and Disaster Preparedness and Response.  He directed local Red Cross disaster response for the 1989 earthquake, the floods of 1994-95 and the housing and stabilization of hundreds of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Rex is an alumni of the University of California San Diego and earned a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning and  a Masters in Gerontology from the University of Southern California .     

Emily Baumgartner
Director, Human Resources

Emily joined United Way Silicon Valley in November 2007 when she moved to the bay area from Texas. There, she spent five years working in Human Resources with a large East Texas retailer. A native of South Louisiana, she brings several years of Human Resources experience to the United Way. Emily received her undergraduate degree in Business Management from Southeastern Louisiana University and is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR). She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Organizational Development through the University of San Francisco.  The last several years of her career have been focused primarily on change management, organizational development, corporate communications and training.