The S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation is a family foundation, and the Board of Directors includes Mr. Bechtel, his wife, and other family members, as well as non-family members who are distinguished leaders in business and demonstrate personal commitments to advancing a productive, vibrant, and sustainable California.
Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr., Chair
Lauren B. Dachs, Vice Chair
Elizabeth H. Bechtel has served on the Foundation’s Board of Directors since its inception. Mrs. Bechtel previously served as chair of the Bechtel Ladies’ Directors Advisory Group (DAG) for a decade; the Ladies’ DAG influenced changes in Bechtel policy for the benefit of employees’ families around the world. Mrs. Bechtel’s longstanding commitment to improve the lives of families and communities is reflected by her generous support of the International House in Berkeley, Mills College, Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, Edgewood Children’s Center, the San Francisco Symphony, and the San Francisco Ballet. Mrs. Bechtel served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Head Royce School in Oakland, and she is a member of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, The Royal Horticultural Society, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Piedmont Garden Club, American Friends of the Royal Academy Trust, The Nature Conservancy, Royal Oak Foundation, Huntington Library, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Mrs. Bechtel attended the University of California, Berkeley.
Alan M. Dachs is President and Chief Executive Officer of Fremont Group, a San Francisco-based investment firm specializing in direct investments, real estate, venture capital, and publicly traded securities. Mr. Dachs serves on the Board of Directors of Bechtel Group, Inc. and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Conference Board. He is a trustee of the Brookings Institution and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Dachs is also a member of the Corporation Visiting Committee for the Engineering Systems Division of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the Advisory Board of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. Mr. Dachs is Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of Wesleyan University, and he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2007. He holds a Master of Business Administration from New York University.
Deborah L. Duncan is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Fremont Group, a San Francisco-based investment firm specializing in direct investments, real estate, venture capital, and publicly traded securities. She is also a member of the Boards of Directors of Fremont Investors, Inc. and Fremont Group, LLC, two of the Group’s primary investment entities. Before joining Fremont Group, Ms. Duncan worked for 21 years at Chase Manhattan Bank (now JP Morgan Chase) in New York, where her most recent position was Executive Vice President of Chase’s Global Asset Management Division. Ms. Duncan is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Guardian Life Insurance Company and the Board of Trustees of Smith College. She previously served on the Board of Overseers of New York University Stern School and the Board of Directors of the Investment Company Institute. Ms. Duncan received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Smith College and a Master of Science in Accounting from New York University Stern School; she also earned the designation of CPA in New York.
Jude Laspa retired at the end of 2009 as Executive Vice President and Director of Bechtel Group, Inc. With a career spanning 43 years at Bechtel, Mr. Laspa held various positions including Deputy Chief Operating Officer, President of Bechtel Systems and Infrastructure, Inc., President of Bechtel’s Asia Pacific region, and Senior Vice President and manager of Bechtel’s fossil-power business. Mr. Laspa serves on the Boards of Directors of the Exploratorium, the California Council on Science and Technology, and the RainBird and Apprion Corporations. He recently retired from the Harvey Mudd College Board of Trustees after 20 years,the last six as Vice Chair. Mr. Laspa earned a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago.
Bob Peck is a Managing Director of FPR Partners, a private investment partnership focused on public equities. Prior to founding FPR, Mr. Peck worked with the Murchison family and RPM Metropolitan Capital, a company he co-founded. He also previously worked for eight years with Perot Investments, where his most recent position was head of public equities. Mr. Peck serves on the Boards of Directors of Fremont Group, REDF, and CSLNet. He is also President of the Day School Foundation, which is affiliated with St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School in San Mateo, CA. Mr. Peck graduated
summa cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He also received a Master of Arts in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
Nonie B. Ramsay has served on the Foundation’s Board of Directors for over a decade. From 2005–2008, Ms. Ramsay held the position of Program Officer at the Foundation, and she was responsible for grantmaking to advance education, youth development, and health. Prior to working at the Foundation, she was principal and manager of SHALANNO Farms LLC. Ms. Ramsay is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Santa Catalina School and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the Athenian School in Danville. Spanning several decades, her community involvement has included serving on the Boards of the ARCS Foundation, Inc., Head Royce School, Alta Bates-Herrick Hospital Foundation, St. Luke’s Hospital Jr. Auxiliary, The Lake School (as a founding member), and the San Francisco Opera. Ms. Ramsay graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and received a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
John Weiser served with Bechtel Group, Inc. from 1980–1996, as Director and General Counsel and President of Bechtel Enterprises, Inc. Before joining Bechtel, Mr. Weiser was a partner at the New York law firm of Shearman & Sterling. Mr. Weiser currently serves as Chair of the President’s Council of United Religions Initiative, and he is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Catholic Reporter. From 1998–2007, he served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Graduate Theological Union. From 1985–2005, he was a member of the Board of Directors of XL Capital Ltd. (NYSE), and from 1983–2002 he served on the Board of Directors of the Fremont Group. Mr. Weiser received a Bachelor of Arts from College of the Holy Cross, and he earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.
