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Oakland Native Fred Blackwell Honored as a Most Admired CEO

Published

7 years ago

November 17, 2018

San Francisco Foundation CEO Fred Blackwell was honored along with ten other CEOs at Business Times’ 2018 Most Admired CEOs Award Gala. Blackwell, an Oakland native, transitioned to his role at the San Francisco Foundation in 2014, after a month-long stint as Oakland’s City Administrator.
Other honorees were: Melanie Dulbecco, of Torani; Steve Heitel, of Presidio Bank; Jeff Hoopes, of Swinerton; Jeff Lawson, of Twilio; Gail Maderas, of Antiva Biosciences; Rich Robbins, of Wareham Development; Talbott Roche, of Blackhawk Network; Paul Segre, of Genesys; Jim Wallace, of BPM; and Jim Wunderman, of the Bay Area Council.
Blackwell was the only Black CEO to be honored this year, and the 10th Black CEO to receive the honor in the now 12 years that the award has been administered.
Blackwell was pleasantly surprised to find he would be receiving such an honor. “I just opened my inbox one day and there was the announcement,” he said. As Blackwell accepted his award, he spoke of the impact his family had on his own success.
“One of the people that I value and follow the most actually is my mother, a woman named Angela Glover Blackwell, she’s someone who never shies away from a fight, never shrinks away from a complex issue, but also thinks about how to involve others in whatever she’s engaged in, and those are the kind of leaders that I think we need more of today,” he said.
The Business Times felt Fred Blackwell has done an excellent job leading the San Francisco Foundation. His strong leadership and the large impact the foundation has on the community were key factors in his award.
This is the 12th year that Business Times has honored the Most Admired CEOs. The entire selection process takes about six months of thoughtful consideration. The Business Times solicits nominations from the business community for several months before the team of editors and writers also nominate deserving CEOs from their beats.
They look for people who have been at their post for at least three years, have not already received the award, have a record of business success, are strong leaders, and are actively involved in their community.