Continuing on the success of the previous VisionSF programs, The San Francisco Chronicle, Northern California’s largest newspaper, has compiled a committee of well-known Bay Area leaders to nominate six individuals for the third annual Visionary of the Year award.

Established by the San Francisco Chronicle and founding partner Saint Mary’s College of California’s School of Economics and Business Administration, and made possible in part by presenting sponsor City National Bank, VisionSF’s Visionary of the Year award recognizes leaders in the Bay Area who have made an impactful difference in the community and beyond.

“Winning the Visionary of the Year honor has allowed me to raise awareness nationally about the issue of global health, and enabled Watsi to help more people from developing countries gain the low-cost, high-impact treatments that can be life saving,” said Chase Adam, last year’s award winner and founder of a global funding platform for medical treatments. “Global health is a data black hole. The more we can empower governments or NGOs with data that identifies what solutions are working and which ones need fixing, the better.”

The full selection committee consists of:

  • Chase Adam, founder and CEO of Watsi, and 2016’s Visionary of the Year
  • Greg Becker, president and CEO of Silicon Valley Bank
  • Dr. Emmett D. Carson, president and CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation
  • Ron Conway, founder and co-managing partner of SV Angel, a San Francisco-based angel investment firm, which helps startup companies with business development, financing, M&A and other strategic advice
  • John Diaz, editorial page editor of the San Francisco Chronicle
  • Zhan Li, dean of Saint Mary’s College of California’s School of Economics and Business Administration
  • Libby Schaaf, mayor of the city of Oakland and lifetime public servant
  • Jennifer Siebel Newsom, president, CEO and speaker of The Representation Project as well as an American documentary filmmaker and actress
  • Michael R. Walker, executive vice president and regional executive of Commercial Banking Services at City National Bank

San Francisco Chronicle Publisher Jeff Johnson, Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper and Editorial Page Editor John Diaz will select the winner. Profiles of the nominees will appear in the newspaper and online (SFChronicle.com/VisionSF) starting January 15th, and the Visionary of the Year will be announced at a private award dinner on March 30, 2017.

For additional information on the nomination committee and the VisionSF Program’s Visionary of the Year award, please visit the VisionSF site on SFChronicle.com.

About The San Francisco Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfchronicle.com) is the largest newspaper in Northern California and the second largest on the West Coast. Acquired by Hearst Corporation in 2000, The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 by Charles and Michael de Young and has been awarded six Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic excellence. With name-brand voices and a keen editorial eye, the Chronicle is an authority that still surprises.

About Hearst Corporation

Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) is one of the nation's largest diversified media and information companies. Its major interests include ownership of 15 daily and 36 weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union; hundreds of magazines around the world, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, ELLE and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations, which reach a combined 18 percent of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including Lifetime, A&E, HISTORY and ESPN; significant holdings in automotive, electronic and medical/pharmaceutical business information companies; a 50 percent stake in global ratings agency Fitch Group; Internet and marketing services businesses; television production; newspaper features distribution; and real estate. Follow us on Twitter @HearstCorp.

About Saint Mary’s College

The Saint Mary's College of California experience inspires learning that lasts a lifetime. For more than 150 years, the College has provided students with a rigorous education that engages their intellect and spirit, and awakens a desire to transform society. Guided by the Christian Brothers, the Catholic Church's oldest order dedicated exclusively to teaching, the College enrolls more than 4,200 students in undergraduate and graduate liberal arts and business programs. The School of Economics and Business Administration at Saint Mary's College offers more than ten AACSB-accredited undergraduate and graduate programs in various locations across the Bay Area. For more information visit Saint Mary's College at stmarys-ca.edu.

About City National Bank

With $47 billion in assets, City National Bank provides banking, investment and trust services through 73 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville and Atlanta. In addition, the company and its investment affiliates manage or administer $58 billion in client investment assets.

City National is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies. RBC serves more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the United States and 36 other countries. For more information about City National, visit the company's website at cnb.com.