Bud Colligan

Colligan co-founded, served as Chairman of the Board from 1998 to 2010, and is currently Chairman Emeritus of Pacific Community Ventures.[11][12][13]

Pacific Community Ventures pioneered a new kind of venture-philanthropy, integrating traditional investment, active support and impact measurement into its funding equation. From 1998 to 2015, Pacific Community Ventures raised and deployed more than $100 million in philanthropic and community-focused capital. These investments helped 3,000 California businesses to create or retain more than 30,000 jobs.[14] The company was recognized as one of the “25 brilliant California ideas of the last quarter century,” by both University of California at Los Angeles and University of California at Berkeley.[15]

Colligan sits on the Leadership Council of Opportunity Fund,[16] the nation's leading, not-for-profit, microfinance provider. From 1995 to 2018, the fund invested over $320 million into California-based communities. In its fiscal year 2018, Opportunity Fund invested $92 million in small businesses, including serving 910 women entrepreneurs, 2,384 minority business owners, and 1,777 low-moderate income borrowers.

Colligan spearheaded the expansion of both Opportunity Fund and Pacific Community Ventures into Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties.[17][18][19] The David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the Community Foundation for Monterey County and the Community Foundation for Santa Cruz County announced support for Opportunity Fund's micro lending efforts in 2014.[20]

Colligan was a founding board member of Santa Cruz Works, a non-profit organization focused on developing jobs and a thriving eco-system for science and technology companies in the Monterey Bay region.[21][22][23] He is also Co-Founder of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, whose mission is to improve the economic health and quality of life for all residents in the Monterey Bay region.[24][25][26][27] In 2016, Colligan received California Forward's Regional Steward Leader Award for community service for “individuals who exemplify leadership that helps sustain the Golden State as a place to create and thrive, to enjoy and to explore, to nurture and to bestow to future generations.” In 2017, Colligan spearheaded the founding of the Monterey Bay Housing Trust as part of MBEP to facilitate more affordable housing in the Monterey Bay region.

From 2011 to 2019, Colligan was an investor and advisor to EdSurge,[28] which acted as a “Consumer Reports” for best practices and products in the education technology space. Edsurge became part of the International Society for Technology in Education in November, 2019. Colligan was also lead independent director and investor in lynda.com, which pioneered online video learning before its acquisition by LinkedIn in 2015 for $1.5 billion.[29][30]

Colligan served on the Board of Directors of JobTrain from 2001 to 2010 and as Chairman of the Board from 2007 to 2009.[31] JobTrain is a community-based education center that combines vocational training, academics and life-skills development. Since JobTrain's founding, it has helped more than 150,000 low-income individuals with their lifelong learning and job placement objectives. Colligan was the first investor in, and now serves on the Board of Advisors of Digital Nest,[32] which provides access and creates opportunity for underserved youth to learn digital skills.

An active supporter of Georgetown University, Colligan served from 1998 to 2015 on the Board of Visitors for the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.[6] He also served on Georgetown’s Board of Regents from 2003 to 2009.[6] In 2007, Colligan co-founded the Georgetown Technology Alliance (GTA) and served on its Board of Directors until 2015.[33] Colligan received Georgetown's highest alumni honor in 2013, the John Carroll Award.