About Us
Heritage
Walter S. Johnson was born in East Saginaw, Michigan in 1884. He moved West while still a youngster, ultimately settling in San Francisco, and graduated from the University of California law school in 1914. After working briefly as an attorney and serving in World War I, Mr. Johnson became a partner in and later the president of Tarter, Webster & Johnson, a wholesale lumber firm. In 1927, he founded the American Box Corporation, which later became the American Forest Products Corporation, and served as its president for more than forty years. Mr. Johnson also helped create the Friden Calculating Machine Company in 1933 and was elected president in 1945 on the death of its founder. He remained active in the management of both companies until well into his eighties. Mr. Johnson died in 1978.
Mr. Johnson received considerable public recognition in 1959 with his lead gift to the city of San Francisco for the reconstruction of the Palace of Fine Arts. The building, designed by Bernard Maybeck and originally constructed in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition, had captured Mr. Johnson’s fancy when he visited the Exposition as a young man. The Palace remained an enduring interest throughout his life.
Mr. Johnson became interested in supporting older youth with foster care experience through his friendship with a nonprofit serving this population. Providing educational and employment opportunities for vulnerable young people has been an important mission and legacy for Mr. Johnson and his descendants.
Staff
Executive Director
Jesse Ostroff
Jesse is a Vice President, Client Advisor in the Philanthropic Services department in Whittier Trust’s Pasadena headquarters. Before joining Whittier Trust, Mr. Ostroff worked at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and as a Fellow at Liberty Hill Foundation. He was also a Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Guaranteed Income Research. His nonprofit career began as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, serving at a workforce development nonprofit serving Transitional Age Youth in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Ostroff received his Master of Public Policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, his Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation from The American College, and his BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.
Program Director
Yali Lincroft, MBA
Yali Lincroft is the Vice President of Whittier Trust’s Philanthropic Services department. Before joining Whittier Trust, Ms. Lincroft worked for several private family foundations and governmental agencies, mostly focused in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has authored state and federal legislation. Ms. Lincroft has received recognition for her leadership, including the 2013 White House Champion for Change award. Ms. Lincroft received her MBA from the University of California at Davis and her BA in history with honors from the University of California at Berkeley. She is a board member of the National Association of Counsel for Children, a member of the steering committee for the San Francisco Bay Area Legal Services Funders Network, and a member of the Children’s Campaign Fund of Washington.
Grants Manager
Mackenzie Arrocha LaBrie
Mackenzie Arrocha Labrie manages the Foundation’s grantmaking process. She performs philanthropic due diligence on applicant organizations, reviews grant budgets and financial reports, and maintains the grants database. Before joining Whittier Trust, Ms. LaBrie was an events manager with Create Hospitality and a Talent Systems Manager with Sorcery Talent Management. She received her BA from Lindenwood University and her Certificate from the Human Resources Management Program at California State University Long Beach.
Board of Trustees
Trustee & President
Nate Bruckner
Vice President
Sandy Bruckner
Trustee & Secretary
Kaitlyn Tamulonis
- Member, Grants Committee
- Member, Nominations Committee
Trustee
Katie Hayden
- Chair, Nominations Committee
- Member, Audit Committee
- Member, Investments Committee
Trustee
Christopher Rupright
- Chair, Audit Committee
- Member, Investments Committee
- Member, Nominations Committee
Trustee
Monty Johnson
- Chair, Grants Committee
Trustee
Kristin Johnson
- Member, Grants Committee
- Member, Audit Committee
Trustee & Treasurer
David Shackelton
- Chair, Investments Committee
Adjunct Trustees
Becca Fox & Jessica Johnson
Outside Committee Members & Trustee Emeritus
