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Stuart H. Harden
Treasurer
Stuart H. Harden has over 50 years of accounting experience, including 30 years as a forensic accountant and expert witness. He is currently a partner in the forensic accounting and financial consulting firm of Hemming Morse, LLP. He has extensive experience as an auditor and consultant to nonprofit organizations, which he hopes will prove helpful to NYF.
Stu is a former member of the Emerging Issues Task force of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Auditing Standards Board and the Accounting Standards Executive Committee, as well as numerous other professional groups. He is a Certified Public Accountant in California and New York, Certified in Financial Forensics by the American Institute of CPAs, and a Certified Fraud Examiner.
Stu and his wife Diana were raised in Kansas but have resided in California for 40 years. He and Diana have two adult sons and three grandchildren.
Christopher T. Heffelfinger
Board Chair
Christopher T. Heffelfinger formally joined NYF’s board of directors in September 2014 but he is no stranger to the organization. His father, Totton Heffelfinger, served as one of the founding members of NYF’s board in 1990.
Chris continues in an Of Counsel capacity in the San Francisco Office of Berman Tabacco where his practice, formerly as a partner, had emphasized securities and antitrust litigation. He has been recognized periodically as one of the Best Lawyers in America in both securities and antitrust and selected by Law Dragon for its 500 leading Plaintiffs’ Financial Lawyers. Chris has served in leadership capacities on other boards and also served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps on active duty from 1977-80, and during 1990-91 when he was recalled back to active service in support of Operations Desert Shield/Storm.
Chris lives in Sausalito. His children, one son and one step-daughter, are grown and pursuing their own careers. Chris enjoys a variety of activities including skiing, hiking, traveling, playing the piano, and the company of good friends.
Olga Murray
Founder, Honorary President
Olga Murray (1925-2024) was a beloved humanitarian, activist, and changemaker. Founding the Nepal Youth Foundation in 1990, she devoted her life after retirement to partnering with Nepali communities to educate and empower youth in Nepal. She was known as “Olga Mom” to hundreds of children across communities in Nepal, and served as a shining example that getting older doesn’t mean slowing down.
Born in 1925 in Transylvania, Olga came with her parents and siblings to the U.S. when she was six years old. After graduating from Columbia University, she earned a law degree from George Washington University, where she was one of a handful of female students. Olga worked her way through law school as a researcher and writer for famed muckraking columnist Drew Pearson. With her law degree in hand, she found that few law firms would hire a woman. So Olga knocked on the door of the California Supreme Court, where she became a research attorney for Chief Justice Phil Gibson. When he retired, Olga joined the law staff of the newly-appointed Justice Stanley Mosk. During her 37-year tenure at the Court, Olga helped to write important decisions in the areas of civil rights, women’s rights, and environmental policy.
She retired from the law in 1992 to launch yet another career—empowering children in Nepal. For 34 years, Olga worked tirelessly to serve NYF’s mission of providing life-affirming resources to youth in Nepal. In February 2024, Olga passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones at the age of 98, fulfilled with the knowledge that her remarkable work would continue well beyond her own extraordinary lifetime.
Click here to join us in celebrating Olga Murray’s life and legacy.