“Bet on good people doing good things,” was the advice Jeff Skoll received from Independent Sector Founder John W. Gardner as he moved from his life as a tech giant at eBay into the world of philanthropy. Now almost 12 years later, Jeff Skoll will join us at the Independent Sector Annual Conference in San Francisco to accept the 2012 John W. Gardner Leadership Award.

The former eBay CEO established the Skoll Foundation in 1999, investing in 91 social entrepreneurs and 74 organizations across five continents. Some of the Foundation’s signature programs include the annual Skoll World Forum and the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship.

Jeff credits the foundation’s strategic focus to a meeting with the Independent Sector founder.

"As John Gardner had such a profound impact on Jeff’s desire to make a difference in the long-term issues facing humanity, it is particularly gratifying to see the breadth of Jeff’s contributions acknowledged with this award," said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector. "I have no doubt that we will all continue to benefit from Jeff’s passion and transformative thinking for many, many years to come."

Learn more about the Jeff Skoll and John W. Gardner Award. Registration to the conference includes one ticket to the John W. Gardner Leadership Dinner on November 12. Click here to purchase additional dinner tickets.