Peter Hero Joins Calpine Foundation's Board of Directors President of Community Foundation Silicon Valley Brings Years of Philanthropic Service Leadership to Calpine Foundation SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The San Jose-based Calpine Foundation has elected Peter deCourcy Hero to its board of directors. "We are particularly fortunate to have Peter Hero join our foundation board," said Pete Cartwright, Chairman, Calpine Foundation. "Peter is a true visionary in helping shape community service in the valley. His expertise in philanthropy and vast knowledge of the needs of our Silicon Valley community will be a real asset to our team." Hero has served as president of Community Foundation Silicon Valley (CFSV) since 1989. Created in 1954 with a gift of $55,000, CFSV now has total assets of $662 million and has made $77 million in grants this year. 2004 marks the organization's 50th anniversary of serving the local community. Prior to CFSV, Peter was president of the Maine College of Art, a four-year college of art and design. He holds an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, M.A. in art history from Williams College, and (Honorary) Doctor of Laws from the Maine College of Art. The San Jose Mercury News recently named Hero "one of the most influential leaders in Silicon Valley in the last decade." In November, 2000, Fortune Magazine noted: "It is Peter Hero, more than anyone else, who has shown Silicon Valley how to give ... by channeling the area's distinctive culture into an unusual brand of charity: demanding, ambitious, self-conscious, creative, even risky-everything you'd expect from Silicon Valley." In addition to the Calpine Foundation board of directors, Hero serves on the boards of the eBay Foundation, Skoll Foundation, 3-Com Foundation, Stanford University's Haas Center for Public Service, The Transatlantic Community Foundation Network, The Entrepreneurs Foundation, The Foundation for a Civil Society, The National Philanthropic Trust, Public Broadcasting Service, American Indian Foundation, and Poets & Writers, Inc. Established in 2002, the Calpine Foundation's mission is to enhance the quality of life where Calpine's employees live and work. Nearly $1 million in grants have been awarded to public benefit corporations throughout the United States in the foundation's first two years of operation. In 2004, the foundation plans to contribute $230,000 to non-profit organizations primarily focused on providing food, shelter and clothing to those in need living in Calpine's communities. For more information about the Calpine Foundation, visit http://www.calpinefoundation.org/. DATASOURCE: Calpine Foundation CONTACT: Jan Stewart of Calpine Foundation, +1-408-792-1180 Web site: http://www.calpine.com/ http://www.calpinefoundation.org/

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