Ellie Javadi and Louis Chicoine Appointed to Palo Alto University Board of Trustees

Palo Alto, CA - Palo Alto University (PAU) announces the election of Ellie Javadi and Louis Chicoine to its Board of Trustees. Javadi is a brand marketer and strategic leader in the venture capital and research industry. Chicoine is the CEO of Abode Housing Development, an agency developing permanent supportive housing throughout California’s Bay Area.

“Palo Alto University is very pleased to welcome Ms. Javadi and Mr. Chicoine to its Board of Trustees,” said Daniele Levy, Chair of the PAU Board.  “Both of them possess the essential professional skills and leadership experience to help PAU advance its mission to be at the forefront of psychology and counseling,” said Levy. 

Ellie Javadi has served as a strategic leader and brand marketer for more than 20 years in a diverse arena of industries including venture capital and research. She has a demonstrated history of working with emerging brands, early-stage start-ups, and growth companies. 

Most recently, Javadi served as CMO at Sapphire, a late-stage venture fund. Prior to that, she led the marketing function at Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) for seven years. While there, she oversaw the firm’s brand and marketing evolution with a focus on digital, social, and content initiatives. Prior to Norwest, she spent a decade at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) where she led the communications function and was responsible for marketing, social media, content, and earned media initiatives for SRI and its spin-off companies. She has served three terms as President of the Board of the Public Relations Society of America (Silicon Valley) and CEO/Board Chair at the Pacific Art League (PAL) in Palo Alto. Most recently, she delivered a TEDx talk on Iran, titled: Hair, Women & a Revolution to Come. Ellie earned her graduate and undergraduate degrees from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.

As the leader of Abode Housing Development & Abode Property Management for nearly 30 years, Louis Chicoine has helped the organization become the leading provider of housing and services to residents experiencing homelessness in Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Napa, and Solano counties. During his tenure, Abode has grown from a local “start-up” with one shelter serving 66 adults and children into a regional organization that owns and operates hundreds of supportive housing units and provides services to nearly 15,000 adults and children each year.

Louis is responsible for the overall leadership of the organization, making sure it grows responsibly and maintains its mission of improving the health of the community by implementing programs that end homelessness. He is a past president of the Alameda County Council of Mental Health Agencies, serves on the board of directors for Destination: Home, and is a trustee on the Holy Names University board of trustees.

Louis holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Holy Names University in Oakland; a master’s degree in social work administration from California State University, Sacramento; and a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Seattle University.