voices > Mark and Diane's Story
At-a-glance
Name: Mark Parnes and Diane Ford Parnes
Occupation: Attorney, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Executive Director, Sobrato Family Foundation
Donations: Individual contributions; designated Opportunity Fund as the recipient of gifts made in honor of their wedding; grants (through Sobrato Family Foundation and Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2)); pro bono legal services.
Impact: Mark and Diane’s investments have helped build capacity by providing crucial support for Opportunity Fund’s operations.
Opportunity Fund offers a way for anyone to play a role in transforming the lives of Bay Area working families. By investing in our innovative programs, Opportunity Fund’s donors become part of a community that is continually inspired by our clients’ successes and rewarded by having helped make it possible.
Mark Parnes and Diane Ford Parnes have dedicated their careers to improving the lives of others. As head of pro bono services at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (where he serves as assistant general counsel), Mark helps deploy the firm’s legal resources into the community. Diane is executive director of the Sobrato Family Foundation, where she makes unrestricted grants to build the capacity of local nonprofits to carry out their community missions. Long before they were married, Mark and Diane had in common their commitment to Opportunity Fund—demonstrated through personal donations, foundation
grants, loan capital, and pro bono legal assistance. Now, as a married couple, they continue to provide multifaceted support for our unique programs and to spread the word that investments in Opportunity Fund achieve results and make a difference.
