Kristin Sun, CFP®, CDFA®
Sand Hill Global Advisors, LLC
Kristin Sun is currently the Chair of StarVista’s Board of Directors, and she sits on the Finance Committee of the Peninsula Health Care District. Kristin is a Senior Wealth Manager, Certified Financial Planner and Partner at Sand Hill Global Advisors, a wealth advisory firm in Palo Alto providing financial planning advice and investment management. Kristin was born and raised in the Bay Area and obtained her undergrad degree from UC Berkeley. Out of the office you might find Kristin at the helm of a board meeting for StarVista, with her young family enjoying the outdoors in South Lake Tahoe, or with her nose buried in a good work of fiction.
Q: Why is the work of StarVista important to the community?
StarVista’s work is critical to the health of our community. They are champions of the underserved. I grew up in this community and have witnessed the success of Silicon Valley over the decades. I’ve realized that we cannot ignore or forget the most vulnerable as we all live together in this community together and we must support each other in order to ensure a healthy path forward.
Q: What do you like about serving as the Board Chair?
StarVista is such a superbly run organization that my job is easy. I’m able to focus my time on guiding both the Board and the agency’s management team when called upon, which I feel helps to make the best and most direct impact. StarVista exemplifies their six core values of Respect, Passion, Partnerships, Accountability, Innovation and Integrity in everything it does, both with its day to day work, as well as its relationship with the Board of Directors.
Q: Why do you give, advocate and volunteer for StarVista?
This question stumped me for a moment. Then I realized I only had one answer: my children. In this community where we’ve witnessed repeated examples of high-tech IPOs, big houses and significant financial success, the critical importance of mental health often gets overshadowed. I want to know that when my children get older, they will have the support they need in school or elsewhere, if it is ever needed. This is why organizations like StarVista are so critical. Ultimately, my involvement here provides me with an avenue to give back to my greater community, in the hopes that my small contribution can make a difference.
Q: What makes our organization’s mission powerful for you?
The most powerful component is the continual focus on high impact services that are accomplished through multiple channels like counseling, skill development, and crisis prevention. StarVista is an innovator in its field, proving this time and time again with its success in making an impact on the lives of those they serve. That impact is monumental. I work in the private sector which means I may make some impact on my client’s lives, but never to the degree that the StarVista team accomplishes. They are literally changing lives EVERY day!