Vera R. Ciammetti has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management. Her first job in a nonprofit was as Executive Director of an adult care facility in New York. Her success led her to become a consultant for long-term care facilities with Ernst & Young Consulting. She moved to California in 1996 and worked for a brief time in Los Angeles before journeying to Asia to build Malaysia's first Elder Care Facility in Kuala Lumpur.

Since returning to California, her nonprofit positions have included: Assistant Vice President of Capital Projects for the American Baptist Homes of the West; Executive Director for Petaluma Ecumenical Properties; Founding Executive Director of West Bay Housing in San Francisco; Director of Operations for Slow Food Nation and Slow Food International in San Francisco and Turin, Italy; and Interim Executive Director at the Alzheimer's Activity Center in San Jose. Vera is also a grant consultant for area nonprofits and a business consultant for various organizations on operations and management protocols.

Nonprofit management and consulting are not Vera's only passions. She is an avid volunteer for organizations including Slow Food San Francisco, ECHO Housing, and the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. She is an accomplished chef and her cuisine can be experienced around the bay area as she performs as Guest Chef at various restaurants. Vera is also fluent in Italian and speaks conversational Spanish.

We are thrilled to welcome Vera to ESP and anticipate many new and exciting developments in the next several years. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Vera R. Ciammetti as the new Executive Director. We would love see you at the Annual Dinner on March 10, 2012, when she will share her vision for the agency and ESP inaugurates our celebration of 40 years of helping women and children who are victims of domestic violence or homelessness.

You can reach Vera at our administrative office at 510-581-5626 or by email at vera@espca.org.