who we are

John is a founding partner at The Amasdar Foundation and currently serves as its Chief Executive Officer. In this role, he coordinates and collaborates with his executive team members / founding partners in an effort to guide and grow this foundation into a significant public benefit organization in the charitable giving space. Originating from San Francisco and raised on the mid-Peninsula from age 10, John has spent his professional life dedicated to the field of commercial software development, troubleshooting and support, since having first received a Bachelor of Science degree in this same discipline from San Francisco State University. His professional pursuits in this field have landed him employment opportunities over 35+ years within some of the largest, most recognized Fortune 100 companies, as well as within small internet start ups and also in the US Federal Government, acting at times as employee and consultant. Always with a penchant for giving, John has involved himself over a lifetime with numerous efforts in the charitable realm. In earlier years, this would involve performing a variety of support tasks at the request of the then founder of the Dominican Mission Foundation in San Francisco -- a Weatherman family charity favorite across multiple generations -- and later working as a volunteer in government employment as a certified CPR technician cross training staff within Bay Area facilities as well as acting at times as a co-coordinator / volunteer to assist co-workers with participating in the Combined Federal Campaign annual employee charitable giving program. Now retired from his software development career, John has spent the last few years donating a large excess of still very useful personal effects and household items -- and done so with a very regular cadence to many charitable organizations in his local area. The largest recipient of these donations to date has been the Peninsula Humane Society's Pick of the Litter thrift store -- a well known charitable retail outlet in Burlingame that John has frequented off-an-on over his adult lifetime -- and whose management and staff continues to deliver a warm, welcoming and grateful demeanor to all patrons -- shoppers and donors alike. John and his beloved wife Angela have resided in the San Mateo hills for over 30 years. Musically trained since intermediate school, John still plays the violin and is now expanding into classical guitar and piano. With a lifelong penchant for learning languages, he has become very comfortable over the years speaking Spanish rather regularly -- and still speaks -- albeit rarely -- in one of his immigrant ancestor's native tongues -- German. John is committed to ensuring a bright and giving future for The Amasdar Foundation.