Meet New SDSVP Membership Director, Jacqueline Silverman!

By Lori Thiel

This month SDSVP welcomes new Membership Director Jacqueline Silverman, who brings with her 25 years of non-profit management and fund development experience from her work in New York, Chicago, Palm Beach and San Diego. She’s an accomplished marketing strategist and creative event planner who has raised money for notable organizations, including the San Diego Opera, San Diego Performing Arts League, and the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture. She took a few minutes while settling into her new SDSVP office to answer some questions:

1. How did you come to be involved with SDSVP?

A colleague who knew SDSVP was looking for a Membership Director thought I'd be a good match for the position. Happily, Peggy and the selection committee thought so too.

2. What's the best thing about being involved with SDSVP?

Right now, the best thing about my involvement is the WOW reaction I get from family, friends and colleagues when I share the news of my appointment as Membership Director.

My primary role at SDSVP is to increase our membership, so look out. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be calling upon many of you for your help to learn what makes the Partner experience great, what makes a great Partner, and who you know that fits the bill.

3. What is your favorite place in the world and why?

I'm a Francophile and love tropical beaches, but in thinking about my world travels [my favorite place is] home in San Diego in the "tree house" that my husband and I remodeled together in University Heights.

4. Please tell us about your family.

My husband is Steve Silverman, a land use planning consultant. We met at a Gospel concert I was producing and got married a year later. We frequently visit with family in San Diego, Palm Beach, DC, NYC, Boston, Dallas, Denver, and Seattle.

5. Please tell us about your favorite pet.

Daisy, my parents' Shih Tzu, set the bar.

6. How do you spend your days off?

There are day trips with Steve to farmer's markets, galleries, craft shows. We go to a lot of theatre, from SUSHI to the Opera. We frequently host dinner parties. (Steve does the cooking). I love workouts and long swims at the Y.

7. Please tell us about a personal project you can't wait to finish.

Catching up on our family scrap books.

8. What is your most prized possession and why?

My wedding ring. I waited a long time.

9. Please tell us the most useful thing you ever learned.

I’ve learned many useful things like good posture (from my grandmother) and Just Do It (from really good branding).

10. What is your most impressive useless talent?

Playing the bassoon. It's not actually useless, but a guitar would be more fun at parties.

11. What did you read at the beach this summer?

Steig Larsson's "The Girl..." trilogy, of course.

12. What gets played most on your ipod or mp3 player?

What my husband calls my music (e.g., Buddha Bar, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny).

13. Complete this sentence: Nobody in SDSVP knows that I...

…was the band director at a Chicago middle school right after I graduated college. As far as I'm concerned, football games are still all about the half-time show.

Welcome to SDSVP, Jacqueline!