Board of Directors

The Jeffrey Gottfurcht Children's Arthritis Foundation Board of Directors helps chart the Foundation's course. They contribute the experience and skills necessary to make this a successful wish-granting organization. The Board determines the Foundation's mission. The Board also protects the Foundation's assets, enhances its public standing, ensures accountability, maintains legal integrity and assesses its own performance. The biographies of the Board of Directors are below:

Jeffrey Gottfurcht

Founder, Jeffrey Gottfurcht was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 28. Determined to fulfill his dream of climbing mountains throughout the world, Jeffrey created the Foundation to enable children suffering from this debilitating disease to also achieve their dreams. Prior to devoting himself full time to the Foundation, Jeffrey spent 10 years as a Senior Vice President of Investments and Advisory Services for UBS. He began his career at Salomon Smith Barney. Jeffrey concentrated in both Economics and Physics from the University of San Francisco . He currently lives in Los Altos with his wife and three children.

Robert S. Basso

Mr. Basso retired from the securities business after nearly 40 years as an acknowledged leader in the financial services industry. He founded BEST Partners LLC, an independent consulting firm in 2007. In his distinguished career, Mr. Basso has been a senior executive with UBS, PaineWebber, Merrill Lynch and Fidelity Investments. Mr. Basso served as President and Chairman of Correspondent Services Corporation (CSC), a UBS subsidiary. When Fidelity Investments acquired CSC in 2003, he became Executive Vice President of its National Financial Services (NFS) unit. Prior to UBS, Mr. Basso established and was responsible for the clearing business at Merrill, Lynch & Co., where he served as President of its subsidiary, Broadcort Capital Corp. (BCC).

Mr. Basso was also a Managing Director of each of the parent companies. He began his Wall Street career with Loeb, Rhoades & Company in 1967. Mr. Basso holds a B.S. degree from Seton Hall University and an M.B.A. from Pace University . He is also a Vietnam veteran and has served and continues to serve as a director/advisor to public and private companies and other charitable organizations. Mr. Basso is married with two sons.

Grant Fondo

Grant Fondo, Assistant United States Attorney, Northern District of California, United States Department of Justice. Grant is a United States federal criminal prosecutor. Prior to becoming a federal prosecutor, he was a litigation partner in the law firm of Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, an AMLAW 100 law firm. He served as co-chair of the Palo Alto's office Pro Bono and Summer Associates Committees. Prior to Cooley, Mr. Fondo practiced in San Francisco and Hartford, Connecticut. Mr. Fondo earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was elected president of the student body and president of his class, and was inducted into Omnicron Delta Kappa honor society. He received his B.A. from the University of Vermont, Cum Laude, and was elected to Phi Betta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta.