Board and Officers
The Foundation is governed by a board of directors, supported by corporate officers and advisors.
Founder
Dr. Mary R. Stauffer
Our founder, Dr. Mary passed away in February 2021. She was active in the workings of the Foundation right up to the day she left us at the age of 103. Learn more about Dr. Mary.
Board of Directors
Janet Suzuki
CEO, Chairman of the Board, Family Director
Janet is a graduate of Warren High and is one of Mary’s five children. Janet returned as an active volunteer for the Foundation in 2016. She managed transferring the office to a commercial location in Downey and documenting policies and procedures going forward as Dr. Mary stepped back from daily oversight.
John Stauffer
CFO, Family Director
John Stauffer is the youngest child of Dr. Mary and graduated from Warren High School. He inspired his dad Dr. Dal Stauffer (Dr. Mary’s husband) to volunteer as the sports doctor for Warren during the years he attended Warren and beyond. He is a currently a retired business executive for a stock exchange listed company. He helped develop the financial stability of the foundation, and is currently serving on the board and as Chief Financial Officer.
Dawn Martens
Family Director
Dawn is the oldest granddaughter of Dr. Mary. She lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband Gino. She graduated from Warren High School, beginning the year Dr. Dal Stauffer (Dr. Mary’s husband) retired as the school’s volunteer sports doctor. Sharing Dr. Mary’s desire to “never stop learning,” she earned a master’s degree in accounting while working full time. She is currently the Head of Corporate Governance for a stock exchange listed company.
Family Director
Katherine is a graduate of Warren High and a granddaughter of Dr. Mary. She is the daughter of Janet Suzuki, Dr. Mary’s fourth child. Katherine followed her grandmother’s footsteps as a physician, joined the board in 2023, and serves from Rochester, New York.
James Stauffer
Family Director
Jim is a graduate of Warren High and is the oldest son of Dr. Mary. He joined the board in 2023 after retiring as the foundation’s investment manager for over 25 years. His sketched the hat that his mom chose for the foundation logo.
Phil Davis
Community Director
Phil has been a volunteer for the Foundation since 2019. While working for Downey Unified, Phil led the STEAM and CTE programs and provided leadership to the “Project Lead the Way” districtwide (K-12) engineering program. The Stauffer Foundation provided the start-up money that enabled the PLTW program to be developed in 2013. Phil retired from the school district in 2018 and soon after was asked by Dr. Stauffer to fill the position of Community Director. Phil is well aware of the inner workings of a local public school district and provides insights to the foundation from a unique perspective. As a former teacher, school principal, and administrator at the district office, he understands the impact that the foundation has on all of the students in the Downey Unified School District. Phil and his family have lived in Downey for over 27 years. Therefore, his appointment as a “Community Director” is a natural fit.
John Kennedy
Community Director
John has been a volunteer for the Foundation for over 10 years and joined the board in 2023. He is the husband of Linda Kennedy who was Dr. Mary’s right hand in managing all the programs until she passed away in 2016.
Nancy Swenson
Chief Operation Officer
Nancy has been a volunteer for the Foundation since 2014. She has lived in Downey for over 45 years and is active in many local organizations that also support the students of Downey. Nancy has been a member of the Downey Unified School Board since 2005.
Reggie Donahue
Corporate Secretary
Reggie has been a volunteer for the Foundation since 2019 and is a retired Resource teacher for the Downey Unified School District.
Family Advisors
Dorothy Knight
Dorothy Knight is the oldest child of Dr. Mary. Dorothy graduated in the 5th graduating class of Warren High School in 1962. She is an accomplished designer who has renovated many residential properties into gorgeous parks, including Eagle Feather, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home in Malibu that unfortunately was destroyed in the Woosley fire. She has served on the board of the foundation and is currently active as an Advisor from Toronto, Canada.
Jessica Forster
Jessica is the granddaughter of Dr. Mary. She lives in Brussels, Belgium with her husband Jonathan and is currently completing a master’s degree in management at Louvain School of Management. Dr. Mary instilled in her a love of travel and education from a young age – perhaps that’s why she’s living abroad and carrying on her studies now!
