Sawako Sonoyama Clarin

Sawako Sonoyama Clarin is the Organizational Learning Officer at the Hewlett Foundation. Partnering with teams across the foundation, she helps shape and sustain a vibrant learning culture — one of the foundation’s core values.

Sawako specializes in bringing together philanthropists and foundation leaders so they can learn from each other and together about critical issues and giving strategies to increase the impact of their giving. Most recently, she was Director of Partnership at Stanford PACS where she played a leadership role in advancing the center’s mission through strategic partnerships, communications, and ongoing learning opportunities for philanthropists, including curating a newly-formed community of technology leaders and investors called First Principles. Prior to joining Stanford PACS, she was a Senior Philanthropy Advisor at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Director of Philanthropy Programs at the Global Philanthropy Forum. She cares deeply about creating an inclusive workplace culture and has experience leading teams through organizational changes.

Born in Japan, Sawako holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology and mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. When she’s not planning philanthropy programs, she’s busy coordinating play dates, basketball practices, and music classes for her two young boys.