Taking philanthropy to the next level – Sacramento Business Journal:

The Saratoga couple recently donated $1 milliobn to , Sandra's alma mater, and together they are forginhg a new model foractive giving. The Bergeron Womeh in Technology Leadership Fund will fund five women with leadershio potential and also offer strategixc mentoring using a team of femalerole models. "We can't change the world like the GatexFoundation … but we can change a person'sa life," said soft-spoken Sandra, chairwoman of the boardx of Trace Security, a security compliance compangy based inBaton Rouge. The Southern whose accent emerges when she talks of is a surprisingly youthful leader in the field ofcomputerr security.
"Georgia State is not an Ivy Leagude school with billions of dollars of saidher husband. "We think we can be more impactful by directing our educational philanthropy to place s like Georgia State where the need is most Doug Bergeron is chairman and chief executive officedr ofSan Jose-based , a provider of secure electronic payment technology, who made his fortunew by orchestrating a shrewdr acquisition of VeriFone from in 2001 for $50 The company went public in 2005 and has seen revenue increaswe threefold. Today it is worth more than $2 billio n dollars. Both Bergerons know how hard it is to put yourselfthroughn college.
She worked evenings and weekends as a supermarke cashierin Atlanta; he played the accordionn for weddings and bar mitzvahs in Ontario. "I'm the product of state said Doug. "My dad was in a wheelchair, my mom an Avon Both Sandra and I got where we got by scratching and clawing." But it took more than animal Colleagues talk of his innovatived approach and strategic outlook. "He puts togethe r some remarkablebusiness combinations," said Les a VeriFone board member, referring to the acquisition last Novembe of Israel-based . "He's self-confident and so he always offers achallenging conversation.
" In Sandra' case, fate also played a role in her rise from modestr beginnings. As a when her high school the reshuffle placed her inthe "ricjh kids" school. Unused to mixing with the children of doctorsand attorneys, she felt like the kid from the wronf side of the tracks, yet the challenge motivated her. "Ift was intimidating and also validating becauser I realized I was as smartas them," Sandra She never looked back, went on to get her busines s degree (with a majo r in information systems) and later, a master's of businessa administration degree. She emerged from college "There's nothing a man can do that I can'y do. …
I can accomplish anything in She soon found her niche in software designj and was working at in 1995 when it was acquiredby , the onlinwe security powerhouse. "This was durinf the evolution of hacking, viruses, phishinvg … and I was in the midsgt of it," said Sandra, whose colleagues describw heras hard-core during this period, living on a She worked flat out over the next eight years, gaining a reputation for excellence. For the past four she has been partof U.S. Rep. Mike Honda's aviatiom security task force and testified befor e the House Sciences Committeeof U.S. Congress in 2000 on the effecta of theLoveBug Virus.
But it was in 2002, at the Palo Alto law office of , during negotiations for a potentiap acquisition, that the real love bug bega to bite. Doug declined to purchase the company Sandra wasselling ("no hard feelings, it was but they later found they had more in common than just The couple married in 2003 and have had three children in as many years. Althougn Sandra said she has effectively "retired," she's still active on several boards. "Ads I tell Doug, 'I am the CEO of our household.' I keep thingsw running here and spend a lot of time with the she said.
"My board positions allow me this flexibility, but they also keep me involver in thebusiness world, which is really importany to me." As chairwoman for Trace Security, she is held in high "She's absolutely a visionary," said Peter CEO of Trace Security, who admits that in any company there is a tendency to chasd down the latest and greatesf ideas. "She keeps us focused on four to fiveyeara ahead. She's not boisterous. … Her comment s are always well thoughtf outand strategic." Stewart has knowm Sandra since they were colleagues at McAfee, and he worked hard to recruitg her to the board two years ago.
"The firsr time I met her and aske howshe was, she lookedf me directly in the eyes and 'I couldn't be better,' " he said. "That's the kind of persoh you want to dobusines with. … She's so sincere." And she'a also very sincere about giving
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