In December 2003, he took on another role, as the executive director for The Valley Medical Center Foundation.

"It's been a great learning experience so far," says the longtime Los Gatos resident. "It's a lot of work, but I'm enjoying it."

Call him crazy—that's jokingly what he calls himself—or call him one heck of a devoted humanitarian, Wilder says he can easily put in a 14-hour day.

"Time flies when you're passionate about what you're doing," he says.

The best time to reach Wilder may very well be at the crack of dawn in his office, which is currently accumulating donation items for House on the Hill, one of the foundation's many projects. But good luck tracking him down throughout the day—he's usually either taking his frequent trips to the pediatric unit at the hospital or rallying support for the foundation's several causes throughout the community and securing grants from organizations.

Wilder admits he was a bit skeptical when the opportunity to serve on the foundation first arose, given his lack of experience in the medical field. It wasn't until he saw the neonatal care unit that he changed his mind.

"I was sold," he says. "I knew I wanted to help those babies out. The least I can do is raise money for them."

And raising money for a good cause is something the 36-year-old can do quite well. In fact, he's a nonprofit rocketeer. To name a few of his accomplishments, as the former assistant director for the Vanished Children's Alliance, Wilder was instrumental in increasing the agency's annual operating budget from less than $700,000 to more than $1 million through fundraising programs. He also spearheaded several grass-roots fundraising campaigns during his six years as the campaign coordinator for the California Public Interest Research Group. And, among other things, he helped City Year San Jose secure close to $2.5 million in grants and donations by strengthening its relations with corporate companies such as Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard and Adobe Systems.

As for being the foundation's leader, Sue Murphy, director of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, who interviewed Wilder for his position, says he's been doing a great job in energizing the board and reaching out to the community. She says it was his passion and energy that made him stand out among the candidates.

"It seems like Chris is giving us good news each week about securing new partnerships and commitments from organizations and individual donors," Murphy says. "I have tremendous confidence in him."

Richard Bastiani, one of the foundation's board members who is also on the interview committee, says Wilder is "like a breath of fresh air."

"He's quick on funding opportunities that have been lying around for quite some time," Bastiani says.

What's the secret to his success? It's simple, he says. It's all about values. "I've always cared about people and the world around me," Wilder says. "That's why I try to infuse my personal values with work. I want to break down the barriers between my personal life and who I am at work."

Surprisingly, despite his hectic schedule, Wilder does have time for the other pleasures in his life—his wife, music and golf. Wilder is a former punk rocker who has four ear piercings—one the size of a nickel—and occasionally hooks up with friends and plays at low-key clubs. He also performs with Carpollio, a jazz group, in his spare time.

"I love music. It's how I unwind," he says.