November 9, 2022 – Lessons Learned from a $12M Estate Gift

Anne Paul King (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Ventura College Foundation. She has been in the non-profit sector for 30 years at both local and national levels. At her core, she is a fundraiser and a change agent. The Ventura College Foundation supports the students and programs at Ventura College with a special focus to close equity gaps, ensure equal access to education, and further enable students to successfully complete their educational goals. In 2019, she was named Association Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Fundraiser of the Year for the Ventura and Santa Barbara County Chapter in California. Prior to joining the Ventura College Foundation in 2014, the scope of her many roles has ranged from the national development consultant to 31 states affiliates at Volunteers of America to a founding board member of the Conejo Schools Foundation supporting the local Conejo Unified School District. She has worked with the American Heart Association, American University, Trinity Washington University, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Thousand Oaks, and United Parents of Camarillo as well. She is a proud mother of Alex and Cameron, emerging servant leaders in their own young professions, and has been married to her partner, Brewster King, for 32 years.

Gerry Pantoja, Director of Philanthropy, Ventura College Foundation Gerry Pantoja (he/him/his) is the Director of Philanthropy for the Ventura College Foundation, whose mission is to transform students’ lives through education by providing innovative and vital resources and financial support. With over 14 years of expertise in nonprofit fundraising management, Gerry advances the Foundation’s mission by leading fundraising and partnership cultivation strategies as well as overseeing and directing all aspects of donor relations, implementing key strategies for scaling fundraising operations and maximizing results. He has held the Certified Fundraising for Executives (CFRE) designation since 2022. Before joining the Ventura College Foundation’s team, he served as a Major Gift Officer at the USC School of Architecture. Prior to that, he spent eight years in Washington, D.C., serving as the Manager of Corporate Relations for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Development Manager for the Hudson Institute. Gerry holds a master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies from the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, a B.S. in Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and an A.A. in Liberal Studies from Antelope Valley College.