Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Valerie Jacobs Hapke

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Daughter of Joe and Vi, Valerie is the founder of Valerie Jacobs Consulting, dedicated to providing direct consultation support to individual philanthropists and family foundations. In addition, Valerie is a nationally-known speaker and has created a series of workshops for women of wealth and wealthy families dealing with both philanthropy and family dynamics. She has been a licensed psychotherapist since 1979, specializing in the effects of wealth on relationships and personal well-being, and has worked in the field of philanthropy since 1994.

Valerie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Education from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.

Norman “Norm” F. Hapke, Jr.

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Norm Hapke is a board member of the Jacobs Family Foundation and Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation. Norm spent nine years as a U.S. Marine Corps Officer, first serving as an infantry officer in Vietnam and then as a naval aviator flying worldwide transport and refueling missions. After leaving the Marine Corps, he entered commercial aviation and served as a Captain with America West Airlines until his retirement in 2005.

Norm has a strong interest in public policy issues and international philanthropy and is an advocate of self-help community change strategies and school reform. His priority is helping the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation and the Jacobs Family Foundation develop the human, economic, and physical infrastructure of the Diamond Community.

Norm holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Science from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is married to Valerie Jacobs Hapke, and they have two children.

Andrew Hapke

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Grandson of the founders and son of Valerie and Norm, Andrew Hapke was the first member of the third generation to become Board Chair of the Jacobs Family Foundation and the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation.

Professionally, Andrew coaches leaders in technology to take their careers and companies to the next level. Before he became an executive coach, he spent 15 years building products and leading teams at American Express, Etsy, and Splice. Having been a start-up founder, a product leader, and a mentor to technology executives, he has worked at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology and social impact for his whole career.

Andrew received his MBA from Yale University, and his undergraduate business degree from Villanova University.

Claire Hapke

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Granddaughter of Joe and Vi, Claire is the chairman of the board for the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation.

In the third generation of the Jacobs family, Ms. Claire Hapke grew up watching the work of her grandparents and parents in what would become The Village at Market Creek. Her passion for learning about new cultures and appreciation for what residents have done together has led her to join the board of the family’s foundation. Claire received her doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy and is currently practicing in New York City. She recently started a group psychotherapy practice called Interweave Therapy, helping to train new clinicians from a somatic and holistic framework. Since the pandemic, Claire has also begun volunteering in her Brooklyn neighborhood by helping organize performing arts for a program that supports the neighborhood businesses that lost so much income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lonnie Lucas

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Lonnie Lucas was born and raised in Southeast San Diego. After graduating from Gompers Secondary School, she felt the call to serve and joined the United States Army. She was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Global War on Terror Ribbon.

Post military, Lucas decided to pursue a degree in English Literature and subsequently studied Law. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor degree, and a certificate in Business Law from Washington University School of Law.

Lucas’ passion for community and people was evident when she was chosen to represent Washington University in South Africa in its Global Public Interest Law Program. As a Global Public interest Law Fellow, she traveled to South Africa and provided legal assistance to low-income individuals with immigration, civil rights, land rights, environmental, housing, family, and criminal matters.

Lonnie is elated to return to Southeast San Diego as a recent graduate; she is currently studying for the California Bar. Her practice will focus on business and community building.

Louie Nguyen

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Louie Nguyen’s commitment to Southeastern San Diego is clear in his current role as Chief Investment Officer at Mission Driven Finance, a private impact investment boutique that provides opportunities to easily invest in the community to solve social pain points.

Through Mission Driven Finance, he recently played a key role in bringing Access Youth Academy, a nonprofit organization that helps train youth to be first-generation college students through the sport of squash – all at no cost to the area. The campus will also offer recreation spaces and meeting rooms for the general community to use for free and is set to open this summer.

Louie is also excited to bring his nearly 25 years as a skilled investor to the CONNECT ALL @ the Jacobs Center Advocacy Council, helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses and jobs within San Diego through the region’s first low-to-moderate income and diversity-focused business accelerator program. The program recently held its third Union Bank Start-Up Pitch Competition, awarding $15,000 in business grants to three diverse women-owned businesses.

Christian Garcia

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Christian is the Branch Manager of the local U.S. Bank office in Southeast San Diego that currently services over 10,000 clients in the community.  At the core of the banking services he oversees, is a sense of duty in providing equitable access to financial services through personalized interactions that promote a greater sense of financial literacy.

His desire to join the join the Board comes from his sense of responsibility to give back to the community that he grew up in.  As an immigrant from the Philippines, Christian and his family struggled to find financial stability while he was growing up.  Through his work with U.S. Bank, he hopes to provide the education and resources that he and his family missed out on to those in the community that may need it now.

Christian is a graduate of Morse High School and San Diego State University and has over 15 years of banking experience.

Alexis Villanueva

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Alexis Villanueva, Executive Director of City Heights CDC is an experienced economic development community leader with a demonstrated history in non- profit management, business development, workforce development, nonprofit leadership, fundraising and community. She also obtained Strong leader with a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from National University. Alexis was raised in the City Heights community into the dynamic leader she is today. She currently serves on Board of Directors for Viet Vote, Mohuman, and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She also serves the community by participating on the Advance Advisory Committee with Mission Driven Finance. The advisory committee makes a determination of future impact funding and how to contribute funding to communities that are historically underserved. When she is not serving the community, she loves to travel, spend time with her family and dog, Mr. Darcy.

Paul Robinson

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Paul Robinson is the founder of Ensunet Technology Group, a San Diego based company specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions post-merger integration and IT enterprise architecture solutions, which was featured on Inc Magazine’s 2018 list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in America.

Having grown up in the Southeastern San Diego community, Paul has seen what happens when lack of economic opportunity, education, resources, community engagement, community mentorship, and crime all meet at the same intersection.

Leveraging a career spanning two decades in information technology, entrepreneurship, and bringing a community resident perspective, Paul is part of the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation board to support the organization’s education to careers and local economy initiatives. Both programs focus on creating local and systems-level partnerships that offer accessible pathways for individuals seeking education and employment. These programs also focus on creating mentorship networks that support early-stage community entrepreneurs and accelerate existing neighborhood businesses.

Joseph “Joe” J. Jacobs, Ph.D.

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(In Memoriam)

The late Dr. Joe, who passed away on October 23, 2004, was the founder and director emeritus of the Jacobs Family Foundation and the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation.

He was chairman of the board of Jacobs Engineering Group, an international engineering and construction firm with approximately 35,000 employees. He developed the firm from a one-man consultancy in 1947 to its present status as a public company with revenues close to $11 billion.

Inducted into the National Academy of Engineers, Joe had a distinguished career both in engineering and in humanitarian achievements, including winning the United Nations World Citizen Award in 1996.

He served on many boards of directors and worked actively toward peace in the Middle East. Joe was author of The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur: Family, Culture and Ethics and The Compassionate Conservative: Seeking Responsibility and Human Dignity.

Joe held a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Polytechnic University.

Violet “Vi” Jabara Jacobs

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(In Memoriam)

Vi was a founder and board member emeritus of the Jacobs Family Foundation and Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation. She passed away on January 12, 2015.

She began her career in advertising. Vi was an active partner in launching the Jacobs Engineering Group, working alongside her husband, Joe, in the company’s start-up years.

During her daughters’ school years, she became involved in the PTA and actively raised money to strengthen education. She has served as a volunteer for the American Friends Service Committee, the Huntington Hospital, and Meals on Wheels, and as secretary for the Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Vi was a worldwide traveler and an advocate for economic and educational development in her parents’ homeland of Lebanon.

Vi held a bachelor of arts degree in French from Wellesley College.

Margaret “Meg” E. Jacobs

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(In Memoriam)

The late Meg Jacobs, who passed away on February 8, 2012, was the eldest daughter of Joe and Vi Jacobs. Meg spent many years in the field of social work, with a diverse health and human services background that included work with youth, families, and victims of domestic violence. Fluent in Spanish, she was a strong advocate for the expansion of community-based social services for Spanish-speaking clients. She provided home-based services to at-risk families in a child abuse and delinquency prevention program, and assisted in the writing of a new parent education curriculum for California’s schools.

Meg served as the Jacobs Family Foundation’s first director, spearheading the foundation’s support of micro-enterprise development as a strategy for assisting families in gaining self-sufficiency. She continued to be an active participant in the foundation’s neighborhood strengthening efforts as a member of the grants team. She also assisted in hosting site visits for foundations and organizations studying Market Creek Plaza as an example of hometown philanthropy.

Meg held a bachelor of arts degree in American civilization from Brown University, and a master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University.