James E. Canales, Chairman of the Board
President and CEO
The James Irvine Foundation

Jim Canales is president and chief executive officer of The James Irvine Foundation, a private Foundation dedicated to expanding opportunity for the people of California. Prior to his appointment as president in May 2003, Mr. Canales served as vice president and corporate secretary at the Foundation from 1999 to 2003, providing oversight for Irvine’s grantmaking programs and communications and evaluation functions.

A graduate of Stanford University, with an undergraduate degree in English and graduate degree in education, Mr. Canales is active on the boards of various nonprofit organizations. He currently serves on the board of trustees of Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

His professional affiliations include current service on Independent Sector’s Building Value Together Steering Committee and membership on the Management Committee for Southern California Grantmakers in Los Angeles. He is a cofounder and past board chair for Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), a philanthropic affinity group concerned with maximizing philanthropy’s impact by advancing the effectiveness of grantmakers and their grantees.

Mr. Canales joined the College Access Foundation of California board in November 2005.

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