Profile James Higa
counselors when he talked about wanting to apply—“No one from here gets in,” he was told), where he majored in political science and supported himself doing freelance photography, mostly covering sports for the local paper. “I loved photography. Our father had taught us; he had an enlarger that took over the laundry room. Our mother hated it. There were chemicals everywhere; she couldn’t get the wash done.” After graduating, he continued doing freelance work for several years. “I hated going to parties because all my friends, who were in consulting and investment banking, would give me the guilt trip from hell about how I was wasting my Stanford education.” Little did they know... “I got an assignment at Apple, and in the course of that assignment I met Steve Jobs. Instead of taking photographs, I ended up speaking to him for a couple of hours. This was right about when the Mac was getting introduced, in 1984, and he made me an offer to join the Mac Group.” Higa became part of the international marketing team. It’s not hard to see what a 26-year-old freelancer might see in Apple, but what did Steve see in you? “Two things. One was an ability to be frank, honest, and able to go toe-to-toe with him on any question. The other was wide peripheral vision. He’s always wanted that in the people around him. The ability to connect dots is really important. A Renaissance perspective on the world. Because it was always about the intersection of technology and liberal arts.” Given your reticence to discuss all things Apple, what
on dispensing with cumbersome application procedures that can pose significant, often insurmountable hurdles to worthy grant recipients. Philanthropy and the tech sector share the same need for speed, he argues. “You can’t sit around and think about things and do white papers and focus groups and stare at your navel for six months as the competition whizzes by. You need to have a bias for action.” The second thing he mentions is what he calls the fundamental operating principle of Bill Somerville, PVF’s founder. “Bill’s tenet has always been: Find good people and fund them. For me, in technology, it’s been the same thing. It’s really not about the sexiness of a technology or the polish of a business plan. If I’m going to work with you, I want to meet you, I want to look you in the eye, I’m gonna fly out, I want to see how the receptionist is being treated. So I think it all comes down to people. And it’s people that you really need to bet on. And that’s one of the huge lessons I learned during my time with Steve. He had an
“If I’m going to work with you, I want to meet you, I want to look you in the eye, I’m gonna fly out, I want to see how the receptionist is being treated.” attracted you to PVF? “Two things about PVF that really resonated with me were: one, rapid response.” He cites, as an example, teacher resource grants for up to $500 (for a field trip, art supplies, etc.) that can be dispensed within 48 hours. “The right timing is as important as the dollar amount.” Especially for small grants, the application process should be simple, and PVF, which operates mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area (“We want to be very grassroots,” Higa explains, “and stay within our circle of competence, which is all the great people doing great work in our backyard”), prides itself
uncanny ability to bring together the most amazing talent.” He describes one of PVF’s recent successes. CalFresh is the Food Stamps program for San Mateo County. But many people who are eligible for the program face difficulties registering for it, and administrators have issues reaching out to those who could benefit. PVF was able to facilitate a joint venture between the county and Code New Year 2013 lifestyles magazine
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