Eddie Reynolds

When Eddie Reynolds arrived at college from his small Tennessee hometown, he saw the play The Boys in the Band. “I left a bit shaken, totally amazed, and an avid theater-goer,” Eddie says.

“Since then, I have seen the entire Shakespeare canon in Ashland. Last year I attended, with my spouse Ed, over 75 live theater performances. At the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival this year, we saw 25 performances in 6.5 days.”

Eddie isn’t just a fan. He served on TheatreWorks board for six years, and sees a thriving arts ecosystem as vital to the region’s success. “A vibrant performing arts community, in my opinion, will help ensure Silicon Valley remains a major center of intellectual creativity and imagination.”

Eddie also serves on the board of Jewish Family and Children’s Services and he and Ed serve together on the Facing History and Ourselves Bay Area Advisory Board.

“We focus our giving in a few organizations where we believe we can make a real difference. We like having a good mix of the arts, education, social services, and religious institutions in our philanthropic portfolio,” Eddie says. “CFSV has helped us stay focused.”

And when it comes to the arts, the results are tangible.

“Every night a curtain rises in Silicon Valley, an audience of strangers becomes a community as they watch a unique, once-in-a-lifetime happening of that live performance,” Eddie says. “To me, each night is a unique event. I hear others sigh, laugh, sniff, and gasp; and I know we are all connected in a special way."