Governor Newsom’s New Appointees to California Humanities Board of Directors
August 13, 2020
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Cherie Hill, Communications Manager, chill@calhum.org
(Oakland, CA) — California Humanities is pleased to announce two new members of the California Humanities Board of Directors who were recently appointed to the board by Governor Gavin Newsom. Robert Mailer Anderson and Shiva Farivar are the first appointees made by Governor Newsom to the California Humanities Board of Directors.
Robert Mailer Anderson, who is a resident of San Francisco, has been the CEO at UpCal Entertainment since 2017. He is a board member of PEN Oakland and a member of the Los Cenzontles Advisory Board. Mr. Anderson is a writer, film and music producer, former San Francisco Library Laureate, and recipient of the 2016 San Francisco Arts Medallion.
Mr. Anderson states: “As a ninth generation Californian, and someone who has spent their life trying to tell stories born from our great state and to link together our vast and varied community through music, literature, history, and civic participation, it is an honor to be appointed onto the California Humanities board by Governor Newsom.”
Shiva Farivar, who resides in Irvine, has been a language instructor at the Orange County Lingual Institute since 2017 and founder of SKF Consulting Services since 2012. She was a commissioner on the City of Irvine Community Services Commission from 2007 to 2014, where she served as chair until 2012. Ms. Farivar earned a Master of Arts degree in German literature from the University of California, Irvine.
“I am deeply honored to serve as the Governor’s Appointee on the California Humanities Board of Directors,” says Ms. Farivar. “As a lifelong advocate of the humanities, I am committed to advancing and promoting its core mission – to nurture and develop understanding, appreciation, and respect for the different cultures that exist in today’s California. The humanities are the gateway to the knowledge of human experiences, and they deserve to be shared and embraced by every Californian.”
California Humanities is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of a diverse group of humanities-focused leaders from across the state. Organizational bylaws indicate that up to 25% of board membership can be gubernatorial appointees; the board currently includes two board members appointed during Governor Brown’s tenure. The board as a whole provides nonprofit governance oversight to the organization, and individual board members act as ambassadors and advocates for the public humanities within their communities and networks.
About California Humanities:
California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, promotes the humanities—focused on ideas, conversation and learning—as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect people to each other in order to help strengthen California. California Humanities has provided grants and programs across the state since 1975. To learn more, visit calhum.org, or like and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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