Imagine Valley Medical Center: Creating San Jose's First Women's/Children's Medical Center

Chris Wilder is the Executive Director of the Valley Medical Center (VMC) Foundation. He has led the

effort to raise funds for and awareness of Silicon Valley’s largest (and only public) medical center since 2003.

During that time, the VMC Foundation has raised more than $60M for the only hospital in Silicon Valley

that serves anyone, regardless of ability to pay. He was named “Outstanding Professional Fund Raiser for

2008" by the Association of Fund Raising Professionals.

Also in 2008, Chris led a coalition that passed “Measure A”, a

county-wide ballot initiative which raised $840,000,000 to

rebuild Valley Medical Center’s seismically outdated hospital

buildings. Measure A was approved by over 78% of Santa

Clara County voters—the largest vote getter of any issue or

candidate on the ballot. He co-chaired a similar campaign in

2012, to increase sales tax in Santa Clara County by 1/8 ¢,

which passed—raising an additional $400,000,000.

Chris’s 24-year career in the Public Benefit Sector began as a consumer activist (Fund for Public Interest

Research, 1990-1996), to running the Vanished Children’s Alliance (1996-1999), a national missing

children’s agency, to leading City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley – the nation’s premiere AmeriCorps program

(1999-2003). Chris served as Board member and past Chairman of San Jose Jazz and has performed music

of many genres in over two dozen nations. As a graduate of American Leadership Forum, Community

Leadership San Jose and Stanford’s Executive Program in Nonprofit Leadership, Chris is active in many

aspects of what makes Silicon Valley tick.

He has served on the board of the Healthier Kids Foundation, the Association of Fund Raising

Professionals Silicon Valley Chapter, has hosted and produced two award-winning cable TV talk shows, and

spent 9 years on Santa Clara County’s Child Abuse Council. Chris lives in Los Gatos with his wife Kate and

many, many animals.

Chris’s recent writings and thoughts can be found at www.vmcfoundation.org