LETTERS OF SUPPORT
For Paksy’s most current work: www.impactmania.com
Paksy and her work have been covered by The Independent, Santa Barbara Newspress, Ojai Valley News, Casa Magazine, The Voice, Montecito Journal, United Nations (UN) Global Compact Conference, Computer Partner Magazine, Pacific Business News, UN Foundation, Harvard Business School, SFSU, USC, UCSB, PNCA, Westmont College, The Nation, U.S. Consulate, Cambridge Scholars Publications, and others.
ACADEMIA
“I write this letter to express my deep appreciation to you for your help and direction in initiating and guiding the formation of a “Friends of the UCSB Materials Research Laboratory” community. With your help and direction, we have rapidly been able to see what we need to do going forward, to better communicate with interested lay persons in the Santa Barbara community, frontier UCSB research in the materials domain (exemplified by the recent Nobel in lighting technologies).
I would also like to express my appreciation for the time you have taken, and continue to take, to talk to our graduate students and to link them up with others in the community, including helping them explore entrepreneurial possibilities.
We at the UCSB MRL hope that this will be a long and continued relationship.”
Ram Seshadri
Professor, Materials and Chemistry
Co-Director Materials Research Lab
University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
NONPROFIT SECTOR
“I have had the privilege to work with Paksy, her sheer tenacity and ability to engage with the (local Indian) communities was remarkable and the by product was a globally acknowledged and appreciated video on a critical issue of Women Empowerment. It was fun and a learning experience working with her. “
Yash Ranga, Strategic Partners,
Jaipur Rugs Foundation
India
Paksy Plackis-Cheng (DAG, LLC) advised the Founder and Executive Director of Look At Us, Inc. She has helped define the vision and structure of the organization, which is an early-stage nonprofit. Given her broad strategic to operational experience, she is a highly valued adviser. I highly recommend her to fellow nonprofits.
Rob Williams, President and Founder
Look At Us Alliance, Inc.
Global
During Paksy’s tenure as Interim ED for the Symphony, she exceeded the goals for the Annual Fund, secured the prestigious Irvine Foundation grant, and brought in 6 legacy gifts. Over the years, she was responsible for helping to raise millions for the organization.
In short, Paksy is the full package — intelligent, capable, successful, a good communicator and possesses a winning personality. Any organization would do well to have her on their team, and better yet, leading the team.”
Richard S. Meyers
Meyers Associates, LLC
Former President of Fielding Graduate University
I have worked closely with Paksy in her tenure as President of the Board of the Santa Barbara Symphony and Interim Executive Director of the organization.
Ms. Plackis-Cheng’s managerial and organizational talents combined with her leadership and social skills turned her tenure as Interim ED with the Symphony to a very successful period. I trust every professional organization will benefit from her leadership and vision.
Nir Kabaretti
Music & Artistic Director,
Santa Barbara Symphony
Southwest Florida Symphony
Serving first as the Interim Executive Director and then the Board President of the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra Association, Paksy Plackis-Cheng has brought extraordinary strategic planning, organizational and administrative skills to a traditional arts organization. She has also initiated a process of integration among the several other such organizations in our community. Her efforts, and accomplishments are transforming the Symphony into a forward looking and effective regional cultural leader.
David Chernof, M.D., FACP
Vice President, SBSOA
PRIVATE SECTOR
“Paksy is deeply committed to making positive impact and knows how to achieve results. She is courageous, resourceful, and fun.”
Daniel Spitzer
Chairman and CEO, Mountain Hazelnuts Group
Bhutan
I worked with Paksy for a number of years. She is reliable, professional, and competent. Paksy managed the partnership with Microsoft in Europe and worked closely with the different field offices. Customers, strategic partners and our companies benefited greatly from this European-wide roll-out and launch of new services. Paksy drives successful outcomes.
Ronald Richardson,
Sales Manager, Microsoft B.V.
The Netherlands
Openwave Systems recruited Paksy to implement marketing and communications functions from the ground up in a dozen countries. The company saw a surge in media coverage, in print and TV such as Bloomberg Television. She built successful relationships with our strategic alliances and customers resulting in additional sales and services.
Jos de Kruijf
Vice President Sales, EMEA
Openwave Systems, Inc.
Paksy is a high performance leader. She headed the European marketing division. An excellent liaison between field and corporate. From developing campaigns, managing staff and vendors, events, press, and online marketing, Paksy delivered excellent results on time and budget, again and again.
Eric Bouwer
Chief Marketing Officer, Banyan Systems, Inc.
EMEA
WOMEN OF IMPACT
(program)
“By creating WOMEN OF IMPACT, a project designed to make global women leaders better known and more visible, Paksy and her team join the vast web of women and men determined to bring balance to the media and historical record. Most importantly, Woman of Impact encourages generations of women to join us and to continue the vital work of revealing the power and potential within every woman.”
Pat Mitchell,
first female President of PBS and Co-Director of TED Women.
“Double Bravo for the discussion meeting: I was impressed with the people who have joined up, the ones who showed up, and the ones I personally know whom you introduced at the dais. You obviously have tapped into some special energy system … keep it up … no one can do it better. You are onto something really exciting.”
Duncan Mellichamp
Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemical Engineering
Philanthropist
“WHY HAVE THERE BEEN NO GREAT WOMEN ARTISTS? …today is being answered by impactmania in this book featuring women’s stories of creativity, imagination, and leadership not just in art but working in many fields. It will leave a legacy of impact so that women and their vital contributions will be invisible and forgotten no more.”
Carla De Landri
Emmy-award winning Senior Producer, formerly with ABC TV News and “20/20”
Currently at NBC
IMPACT X
(book and panel discussion)
Many people in the nonprofits speak about the people and the planet. Yet, when it comes to profits, it remains awkwardly silent. A profit, at least a healthy balanced budget, is the oxygen for any organization: You need it to survive but it is not the reason to live. Impact X combines the heart of a nonprofit with the mind of a for-profit.
Wouter Bax,
Deputy Chief, NOS 24 (Dutch News Public Broadcasting Station)
The Netherlands
Paksy Plackis-Cheng gives the reader an international journey of philanthropy. Her inspiring interviews, successful examples, inclusive research, and sensitive intuition inspire us all to be partners in creating a more giving future.
Anne Smith Towbes, Philanthropist
Montecito, California
Impact X asks that we not be armchair admirers rather, that we pick up the torch and find our way to this new society by contributing our intelligent best. Paksy’s point of view is smart, illuminating, and contains an empowering call to action.
Jody Turner, Culture of Future, Future Trend Strategies
Portland, Oregon
Paksy Plackis-Cheng has done an extraordinary thing. She has vividly brought to life the important notion that we too often silo what should be integrated. Pursuing financial profit and seeking social returns for our communities are not, and have never really been, mutually exclusive. Indeed they are more often than not inextricably linked. But the author does not preach; rather she facilitates, with a good deal of elegance, the reader’s access to those inspirational people among us who have this wisdom and practice it daily.
Ronald V. Gallo, Ed.D.
President & CEO
Santa Barbara Foundation
As a life-long entrepreneur, I appreciate Paksy’s recognition of the importance of private sector accountability in non-profit and social B-corp ventures. As she rightfully states, “Investing capital in socially sound companies that look at long-term outcomes… is more sensible than simply writing a check to charity and hoping for the best.” Paksy’s apolitical, pragmatic approach to enabling social good is one that all forward-looking communities should closely consider.
John Greathouse
Serial Entrepreneur & Partner
Rincon Venture Partners