Director's Diary | The Leakey Foundation
By Sharal Camisa, Executive Director, The Leakey Foundation
Leakey Foundation supporters and grantees gathered in San Francisco on May 3 to celebrate 50 years of exploration, discovery and sharing our human story.
The celebration featured a cocktail reception with a portrait studio, and the dinner party began with a performance of South African music by Chinyakare Ensemble. Dr. Kelly Stewart served as our master of ceremonies and introduced speeches Leakey Foundation President Camilla Smith, Executive Director Sharal Camisa, and Scientific Executive Committee Member Nina Jablonski. Our keynote speech was delivered by the Director of the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum, Kirk Johnson.
The enthusiastic crowd pledged a record amount of money during our lively auction, and the evening concluded with an after party which featured unique virtual reality experiences and scrumptious late-night snacks.
The gala raised $394,392 for research and outreach funding, and over half of our guests were new supporters.
Welcoming those new supporters was one of the many personal highlights of this very special event. Here are a few more:
Witnessing the reunions of colleagues and friends.
Asking Rick Potts to donate soil from the Olorgesailie site where he and his team made an extraordinary discovery.
Singing along to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” with Donald Johanson during the auction.
Experiencing unique and unforgettable moments.
2) Greeting three generations of the Richards family.
(Dana and Annie Lajoie and Bill Richards)
3) Watching guests enjoy the virtual reality headsets during the After Party.
(Carol Rabenhorst and Bernard Wood)
4) Celebrating our beloved Founder Joan Travis and seeing guests make pilgrimages to her table all night to offer their appreciation for her hard work.
(Camilla Smith, Brian Howell and Joan Travis)
Working with the most amazing team!
Stay tuned for part two – with more photos and highlights!
