Mary Ippoliti Smith, Vice President of Operations 

When Mary graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1990 (with a degree in Development Studies), she was asked what she wanted to do with her life: "I'd like to write about things I believe in" was her reply. And that's exactly what she's been doing ever since.

As Vice President of Operations, Mary's involved in every facet of corporate and philanthropic activities, working closely with Maddie's President, supervising staff, working with grantees, and assisting the Board. In her previous role as Program Officer, she was the key staff person designing funding guidelines and reviewing proposals. Mary joined the Maddie's Fund team in 1999.

In her eight years in the Development Department at The San Francisco SPCA, Mary worked on capital campaigns, events, solicitations and estate planning in addition to writing grant proposals. Her extraordinary fundraising skills translated into millions of dollars annually in support of The SF/SPCA's lifesaving work.

Mary and her husband Jim share their home with Gwen and Monty, nine-year old Airedale siblings; Roxie, a 3-yr old terrier mix; and Shorty, an eight-year old Chihuahua.