Fred Ali SCG Member
President, Fred Ali Corporation
Fred Ali has held senior leadership positions with nonprofit, philanthropic, and educational organizations, and government agencies. In 2021, he stepped down as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Weingart Foundation, where he served for 21 years. Fred is currently serving as the interim CEO for Covenant House California. He also maintains a consulting practice, serving as a coach and strategic advisor on projects and initiatives focused on advancing equity and justice, as well as organizational effectiveness. Fred currently serves as the Chair of Catalyst California.
Pilar Diaz SCG Member
Program Officer, First 5 LA
Pilar Diaz is a Program Officer at First 5 LA, an independent public agency that works to strengthen systems, parents, and communities to support the safe and healthy development of young children so every child is born healthy and thrives in a nurturing, safe and loving community. Prior to First 5 LA, she served as the California lead for the U.S. Census Bureau’s Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander outreach, playing a critical role in driving the success of the 2020 count. Her experience in grantmaking includes positions at the LA84 Foundation, The California Endowment, and working as a grantmaking consultant. Pilar has also fundraised for youth development programs, engaging individual donors and corporate partners. Earlier in her career, she worked as a community organizer for one of AFL-CIO’s union drive campaigns and then as the Los Angeles organizer for Center for Community Change’s national welfare-to-work campaign. Pilar currently serves as an appointee on the West Carson EIFD Public Financing Authority and has been a commissioner for the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. She has been active in the philanthropic sector, serving on the local steering committees for Asian Americans Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, as well as on the boards of Hunger Action L.A., TeAda Productions, and the University of Colorado Boulder Alumni Association. Pilar earned her Master of Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, and her undergraduate degree in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
John E. Kobara
Chief Facilitator, Random Acts of Progress
This year, we are proud to announce John Kobara, Chief Facilitator of Random Acts of Progress, as our 2024-2025 Emerging Leaders Peer-to-Peer facilitator.
John is the wildest American dream of his immigrant grandparents who came to this country with nothing. A third-generation Japanese-American. Married over his head to a woman he met on a plane. A proud father of three college graduates with no student debt. A struggling poet. A humbled activist who still is trying to change the world and not grow up.
John’s destiny was forged in the internment camps of 1942, where his grandparents and parents were stripped of all their rights and possessions and incarcerated in the desolate desert of Poston, Arizona for more than 4 years.
His Dad, in his awkward Asian fatherly way, expected John to become a "public person". It took John many years to understand that a "public person" was someone his father wasn't — A person who was social, networked, engaged in the American community, was a good communicator and to have the courage to say what he thought. His mother, a late blooming artist, taught him how to notice the world and to be generous with one’s gifts.
John headed to Los Angeles to attend UCLA which started his 45-year love affair with the imperfect paradise of the City of Angels. His quest to be a public person took him on a career traversing all sectors. His role at the California Community Foundation is his 18th job. He survived three start-ups in three different decades. He worked primarily in the so-called non-profit arena or what he likes to call the “for-purpose” field, interrupted by for-profit and public-sector jobs. He has held big titles and important positions but usually not at the same time. His early work with juvenile felons in maximum security prisons pushed him to become a Big Brother for 10 years and study and eventually teach mentoring all over the world. His work with at-risk youth and recently released felons fulfills him today. His education, both formal and experiential, has empowered his open-mindedness and open-heartedness. He is obsessed with understanding and releasing the unexpressed and untapped human potential in himself and in others. The “public person” journey his father put him on, is infinite. John is grateful for the opportunities to sustain the dream of his grandparents by dedicating his life to helping others build a more joyful, equitable, just, and compassionate world.
John is the wildest American dream of his immigrant grandparents who came to this country with nothing. A third-generation Japanese-American. Married over his head to a woman he met on a plane. A proud father of three college graduates with no student debt. A struggling poet. A humbled activist who still is trying to change the world and not grow up.
John’s destiny was forged in the internment camps of 1942, where his grandparents and parents were stripped of all their rights and possessions and incarcerated in the desolate desert of Poston, Arizona for more than 4 years.
His Dad, in his awkward Asian fatherly way, expected John to become a "public person". It took John many years to understand that a "public person" was someone his father wasn't — A person who was social, networked, engaged in the American community, was a good communicator and to have the courage to say what he thought. His mother, a late blooming artist, taught him how to notice the world and to be generous with one’s gifts.
John headed to Los Angeles to attend UCLA which started his 45-year love affair with the imperfect paradise of the City of Angels. His quest to be a public person took him on a career traversing all sectors. His role at the California Community Foundation is his 18th job. He survived three start-ups in three different decades. He worked primarily in the so-called non-profit arena or what he likes to call the “for-purpose” field, interrupted by for-profit and public-sector jobs. He has held big titles and important positions but usually not at the same time. His early work with juvenile felons in maximum security prisons pushed him to become a Big Brother for 10 years and study and eventually teach mentoring all over the world. His work with at-risk youth and recently released felons fulfills him today. His education, both formal and experiential, has empowered his open-mindedness and open-heartedness. He is obsessed with understanding and releasing the unexpressed and untapped human potential in himself and in others. The “public person” journey his father put him on, is infinite. John is grateful for the opportunities to sustain the dream of his grandparents by dedicating his life to helping others build a more joyful, equitable, just, and compassionate world.
Cynthia Freeman SCG Member
Senior Program Direvtor, Community Partners
Cynthia Freeman (she/her) co-designs and runs multi-million-dollar regranting and capacity-building initiatives for government and foundations, leading teams of staff and consultants and facilitating multi-stakeholder collaboratives. Prior to joining Community Partners in 2006, Cynthia worked as a policy director for the Association of Community Human Service Agencies. Previously, she spent seven years as a grantmaker, most recently at the New York Foundation, making grants to community organizing, advocacy, and start-up projects in New York City’s five boroughs. Freeman has consulted for numerous nonprofit organizations and worked on initiatives with Los Angeles County departments, First 5 LA, Time Warner, and multiple private foundations. She began her career as a community organizer and fundraiser for ACORN.
Freeman has served on the steering committees of Interfaith Funders and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy NY and is prior board chair of Jumpstart and co-founder of the Southern California Fiscal Sponsors Network. Trained as a Heart to Heart racial justice dialogue facilitator for LA’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation initiative, Freeman has served on the Saturday Dialogues facilitation team for the Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere – Los Angeles (AWARE-LA). She is a graduate of Brown University, to which she received unearned admissions preference as a legacy and full-pay applicant, and has an MPA in nonprofit management from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Freeman has served on the steering committees of Interfaith Funders and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy NY and is prior board chair of Jumpstart and co-founder of the Southern California Fiscal Sponsors Network. Trained as a Heart to Heart racial justice dialogue facilitator for LA’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation initiative, Freeman has served on the Saturday Dialogues facilitation team for the Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere – Los Angeles (AWARE-LA). She is a graduate of Brown University, to which she received unearned admissions preference as a legacy and full-pay applicant, and has an MPA in nonprofit management from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.
Kameron Green
Vice President, Professional Learning & Family Philanthropy, SCG
As Vice President, Professional Learning & Family Philanthropy, Kameron plays a significant leadership role in developing and implementing SCG’s Professional Learning strategy and programs for members. This includes managing the day-to-day operations of SCG’s Professional Development portfolio, Family Philanthropy offerings, and relationships with peer and affinity groups. Kameron is also responsible for ensuring high quality professional learning experiences are made available to enable SCG members to continually increase their knowledge, skills, competencies, career development and networks.
Kameron is a member of The Prytanean Women's Honor Society, the Alliance for Women in Media, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Central City Neighborhood Partners (CCNP), a leading non-profit organization committed to advancing systemic change to benefit low-income communities through collaborations. Kameron graduated from The University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Media Communications.
Kameron is a member of The Prytanean Women's Honor Society, the Alliance for Women in Media, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Central City Neighborhood Partners (CCNP), a leading non-profit organization committed to advancing systemic change to benefit low-income communities through collaborations. Kameron graduated from The University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Media Communications.
Joanna Jackson SCG Member
President and CEO, Weingart Foundation
Joanna S. Jackson
Driven by her commitment to racial and social justice, Joanna has over 25 years of experience in the social sector at a range of institutions. Currently serving as Vice President of Programs at Weingart Foundation, Joanna is a member of the Leadership Team responsible for the management of the Foundation’s primary grantmaking program, as well as oversight of the Foundation’s learning and planning. Joanna joined the Foundation in 2008 as a program associate, and most recently held the position of Director, Grant Operations.
Prior to joining Weingart Foundation, Joanna spent over a decade in the nonprofit, philanthropic and public sectors. Joanna serves on the Board of Southern California Grantmakers and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. Joanna earned a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College, The City University of New York, where she was a National Urban Fellow. She is also a proud HBCU graduate having received her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Originally from New York, Joanna lives in Mid City Los Angeles with her husband and two children, who are the joy of her life.
Driven by her commitment to racial and social justice, Joanna has over 25 years of experience in the social sector at a range of institutions. Currently serving as Vice President of Programs at Weingart Foundation, Joanna is a member of the Leadership Team responsible for the management of the Foundation’s primary grantmaking program, as well as oversight of the Foundation’s learning and planning. Joanna joined the Foundation in 2008 as a program associate, and most recently held the position of Director, Grant Operations.
Prior to joining Weingart Foundation, Joanna spent over a decade in the nonprofit, philanthropic and public sectors. Joanna serves on the Board of Southern California Grantmakers and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. Joanna earned a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College, The City University of New York, where she was a National Urban Fellow. She is also a proud HBCU graduate having received her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Originally from New York, Joanna lives in Mid City Los Angeles with her husband and two children, who are the joy of her life.
Felicia Jones
Managing Director, Programs & Operations, Social Good Solutions
Felicia Jones is the Managing Director of Programs & Operations with Social Good Solutions and is responsible
for leading program strategy, development, and implementation across the firm’s portfolio of services; and
ensuring operational effectiveness in the firm’s business practices.
She has extensive experience as a non-profit leader, she has spearheaded and facilitated multiple collective impact efforts bringing communities and institutions together to advance racial equity through creation of new institutional policies, practices, and investments in racial equity. In her former role as Deputy Director with Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), she co-lead a community effort leading the county of San Bernardino to declare racism a public health crisis and to initiate a series of internal reforms to address racial equity.
While serving as a co-chair, she helped to establish the Black Equity Fund, a pooled fund effort and partnership between the Inland Empire Community Foundation and the Inland Empire Black Equity Initiative to strengthen and scale Black-led and empowering organizations’ sustainability and capacity to lead regional systems change work. She also served on the design and implementation committees and now the interim governance board of a new entity, the Innovation-Center (i-Center). The i-Center is a effort to build infrastructure through a network of Centers to deepen the capacity, impact, and sustainability of California’s grassroots movements for racial and social transformation
She was born and raised in South Los Angeles and is a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles, California. She resides in San Bernardino county.
for leading program strategy, development, and implementation across the firm’s portfolio of services; and
ensuring operational effectiveness in the firm’s business practices.
She has extensive experience as a non-profit leader, she has spearheaded and facilitated multiple collective impact efforts bringing communities and institutions together to advance racial equity through creation of new institutional policies, practices, and investments in racial equity. In her former role as Deputy Director with Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), she co-lead a community effort leading the county of San Bernardino to declare racism a public health crisis and to initiate a series of internal reforms to address racial equity.
While serving as a co-chair, she helped to establish the Black Equity Fund, a pooled fund effort and partnership between the Inland Empire Community Foundation and the Inland Empire Black Equity Initiative to strengthen and scale Black-led and empowering organizations’ sustainability and capacity to lead regional systems change work. She also served on the design and implementation committees and now the interim governance board of a new entity, the Innovation-Center (i-Center). The i-Center is a effort to build infrastructure through a network of Centers to deepen the capacity, impact, and sustainability of California’s grassroots movements for racial and social transformation
She was born and raised in South Los Angeles and is a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles, California. She resides in San Bernardino county.
Rhiannon McAfee
Policy & Advocacy Strategist, Consultant
Rhiannon McAfee has over 25 years of experience in public policy and advocacy, including with Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest and its associated Action Fund; as the regional field director for the successful No on Propositions 73, 85, and 4 campaigns; as the statewide campaign manager and spokesperson for No on 2: Alaskans Against Government Mandates; identifying, cultivating, and supporting state and national efforts to move the progressive agenda forward through the citizens’ initiative process with the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) in Washington DC; and bringing local groups together to increase voter participation with Engage San Diego. McAfee now assists local non-profits with their public policy and advocacy strategy and manages their policy portfolios, campaigns, and plans. An alumni of the first graduating fellows class of the San Diego Leadership Alliance, a graduate of Wellstone’s Advanced Campaign Management School, and one of San Diego Metro Magazine’s 40 Under 40 in 2012, McAfee has lived in San Diego for over 30 years and lives in the east county with her husband, son, and two rescue dogs.
Emily Michels
Manager, Public Policy & Government Relations, SoCal Grantmakers
Emily Michels provides leadership and strategic direction on SCG’s public policy priorities and actions, as well as programmatic and communications planning. She is responsible for developing and maintaining external relationships with partners, members, and elected officials, and plays a key role in executing public policy strategy, as well as cross-team collaboration. She leads the planning of SCG’s annual advocacy trips and serves as the liaison and point of contact for the Public Policy Advisory Committee.
Prior to joining SCG in 2021, Emily worked as the Ethics and Communications Officer for a small technology company, developing internal policies for safe work practices and standards philosophies for efficient workflow. Previously, she worked as a health policy analyst in Denver, CO, conducting legislative research, drafting, lobbying, and analysis with a focus on consumer rights, access to health care, and social determinants of health. She has published research on policy solutions for ethical community-driven public health interventions, fair research practices, narrative ethics, and equitable resource distribution. Emily graduated from Emory University with an M.A. in Bioethics and Colorado College with a B.A. in Bioethics & Public Policy.
Prior to joining SCG in 2021, Emily worked as the Ethics and Communications Officer for a small technology company, developing internal policies for safe work practices and standards philosophies for efficient workflow. Previously, she worked as a health policy analyst in Denver, CO, conducting legislative research, drafting, lobbying, and analysis with a focus on consumer rights, access to health care, and social determinants of health. She has published research on policy solutions for ethical community-driven public health interventions, fair research practices, narrative ethics, and equitable resource distribution. Emily graduated from Emory University with an M.A. in Bioethics and Colorado College with a B.A. in Bioethics & Public Policy.
Paul Moore SCG Member
Executive Director, David Bohnett Foundation
Paul Moore is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles-based David Bohnett Foundation, where he joined the team in 2001. The David Bohnett Foundation is a private family foundation that gives grants to organizations that focus on its core giving areas – primarily Los Angeles area programs and LGBTQ rights in the United States, as well as leadership initiatives and voter education, gun violence prevention, and animal language research.
A native of Orange County, California, Paul Moore holds a B.S. in Finance, cum laude, from California State University, Northridge, earned an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, where he was a Society and Business Fellow, and an alumn of the LGBTQ Executive Leadership Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He resides in Los Angeles and is married to Brett Simon. Paul serves on the Board of Directors of CenterLink, the national association of LGBTQ Community Centers, a Board Member of the Friends of Runyon Canyon, and an Advisory Board Member of the USC Marshall School of Business Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab.
A native of Orange County, California, Paul Moore holds a B.S. in Finance, cum laude, from California State University, Northridge, earned an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, where he was a Society and Business Fellow, and an alumn of the LGBTQ Executive Leadership Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He resides in Los Angeles and is married to Brett Simon. Paul serves on the Board of Directors of CenterLink, the national association of LGBTQ Community Centers, a Board Member of the Friends of Runyon Canyon, and an Advisory Board Member of the USC Marshall School of Business Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab.
Janae Oliver SCG Member
Community Health Consultant, Kaiser Permanente
Janae Oliver is a community health consultant for Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region and an adjunct professor at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science. With over 20 years experience in healthcare, nonprofit, and government sectors, she is a visionary and authentic leader committed to improving health equity in marginalized communities. Now Dr. Oliver, she leads equity grantmaking initiatives, focusing on racial justice, maternal health disparities, and nonprofit capacity-building. She teaches urban public health courses, emphasizing experiential learning. She is the founder of culturally relevant public health interventions - Mindful Beauty, a mental health initiative for hairstylists, and Blaccinated™, a social marketing campaign promoting COVID-19 vaccination in Black and Latino communities. She holds a BA in Political Science, an MPH, an MPA, and is pursuing an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership at Pepperdine University. She enjoys spending time with her new partner and walking with her dog Gracie, traveling, home projects, and hosting events in South Los Angeles, where she actively participates in her community.
Kaci Patterson SCG Member
Founder & Chief Architect, Social Good Solutions / Black Equity Collective
Kaci Patterson is the Founder and Chief Architect of Social Good Solutions (SGS), a Black-woman-owned and operated boutique consulting firm working at the intersections of philanthropy, racial justice and community. Kaci brings over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and is widely recognized for her expertise in equity-centered grantmaking and community-driven design. In her role as Sr. Director for the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment, Kaci organizes philanthropic engagement for the LA County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM), a public-private-community partnership working to advance joyous and healthy births for Black mothers and families in LA County. She is also the Founder and Chief Architect of the Black Equity Collective, serves on the board of Social Justice Partners Los Angeles, Tides Advocacy and was an appointed state commissioner serving in the CA Department of Consumer Affairs for eight years. Kaci is a graduate of Pepperdine University and holds an MBA in Organizational Management & Leadership from the University of LaVerne.
Jennifer Price-Letscher SCG Member
President & CEO, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Jennifer Price-Letscher grew up in a household of strong, determined women. Raised by her mother, grandmother, and older sisters, Jennifer developed a sense of purpose and creativity from a young age. Her mother was a first-generation college graduate who worked tirelessly to serve others as an educator, social worker, and criminal justice legal advocate. Her grandmother was a concert pianist who gave her a keen ear, nurturing Jennifer’s musicianship and cultivating an awareness about the power of artistic expression. Jennifer’s home life fostered a sense of creativity and justice, and she credits her mother with teaching the importance of seeing the humanity in everyone. It is no surprise that Jennifer dedicated her life to arts, education, and social change.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Jennifer began a career in the social impact sector following a visit to her sister’s home in Los Angeles in the early ‘90s. Her trip coincided with the city’s civil unrest, as countless Angelenos organized to demand racial justice. Seeing Los Angeles and its potential to be a place for all things possible, challenging, and just, Jennifer decided to stay. Soon after, Jennifer started working in the arts and became involved with prominent artists and art organizations, including 18th Street Arts Center and Highways Performance Space. Jennifer found herself immersed in a community of people exploring their identities and artistic voices at the height of the culture wars of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Jennifer advocated alongside these artists who demanded that marginalized voices in mainstream theater have equitable access and a seat at the table. “One of art’s greatest qualities lies in its capacity to elicit greater understanding and empathy, why wouldn’t we want to hear more voices?” Jennifer reflected. This experience building empathy and power shoulder-to-shoulder with underrepresented artists would later guide her work in the nonprofit sector.
Jennifer started her philanthropic career at the Whitecap Foundation, where she led capacity building programs before joining the Sterling-Dorman Foundation and spending a decade focused on college access and success. “Education can be a profound lever for transforming lives and lifting people out of poverty,” she noted. Today, Jennifer is Vice President for Grantmaking and Initiatives at The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, where she manages its responsive grantmaking and efforts focused on collaboration, organizational effectiveness, and systems change. Her grantmaking philosophy aspires to weave together all the strands necessary to create a strong community fabric. To realize her vision, Jennifer taps into a long-standing “spirit of inquiry” that allows her to listen to her nonprofit partners deeply and with humility and curiosity. She credits SCG and early philanthropic mentors with helping her see the importance of building strong relationships founded on trust. “Our nonprofit partners and their constituents know what's best for their communities and what’s needed to accomplish transformational change.” While she recognizes that not all foundations can immediately enact a comprehensive trust-based strategy, she is hopeful that the sector will gradually embrace more of its principles. “I hope some of our funder colleagues will let go of the ‘power over’ framework reliant on directives and bureaucracy and shift toward a ‘power with’ model founded on a collaborative spirit and willingness to make change together. Community transformation requires all hands on deck.”
Given the devastation wrought by the crises of this year, Jennifer is proud of the bold actions The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation has taken to support their nonprofit partners. At the beginning of the pandemic, they signed onto the Council of Foundation’s pledge advocating for more flexible and equitable grantmaking, canceled all their grant reporting, and distributed ne
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Jennifer began a career in the social impact sector following a visit to her sister’s home in Los Angeles in the early ‘90s. Her trip coincided with the city’s civil unrest, as countless Angelenos organized to demand racial justice. Seeing Los Angeles and its potential to be a place for all things possible, challenging, and just, Jennifer decided to stay. Soon after, Jennifer started working in the arts and became involved with prominent artists and art organizations, including 18th Street Arts Center and Highways Performance Space. Jennifer found herself immersed in a community of people exploring their identities and artistic voices at the height of the culture wars of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Jennifer advocated alongside these artists who demanded that marginalized voices in mainstream theater have equitable access and a seat at the table. “One of art’s greatest qualities lies in its capacity to elicit greater understanding and empathy, why wouldn’t we want to hear more voices?” Jennifer reflected. This experience building empathy and power shoulder-to-shoulder with underrepresented artists would later guide her work in the nonprofit sector.
Jennifer started her philanthropic career at the Whitecap Foundation, where she led capacity building programs before joining the Sterling-Dorman Foundation and spending a decade focused on college access and success. “Education can be a profound lever for transforming lives and lifting people out of poverty,” she noted. Today, Jennifer is Vice President for Grantmaking and Initiatives at The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, where she manages its responsive grantmaking and efforts focused on collaboration, organizational effectiveness, and systems change. Her grantmaking philosophy aspires to weave together all the strands necessary to create a strong community fabric. To realize her vision, Jennifer taps into a long-standing “spirit of inquiry” that allows her to listen to her nonprofit partners deeply and with humility and curiosity. She credits SCG and early philanthropic mentors with helping her see the importance of building strong relationships founded on trust. “Our nonprofit partners and their constituents know what's best for their communities and what’s needed to accomplish transformational change.” While she recognizes that not all foundations can immediately enact a comprehensive trust-based strategy, she is hopeful that the sector will gradually embrace more of its principles. “I hope some of our funder colleagues will let go of the ‘power over’ framework reliant on directives and bureaucracy and shift toward a ‘power with’ model founded on a collaborative spirit and willingness to make change together. Community transformation requires all hands on deck.”
Given the devastation wrought by the crises of this year, Jennifer is proud of the bold actions The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation has taken to support their nonprofit partners. At the beginning of the pandemic, they signed onto the Council of Foundation’s pledge advocating for more flexible and equitable grantmaking, canceled all their grant reporting, and distributed ne
Sequoia Thompson
Coordinator, Equity, Organizational Culture, & Dialogue, SoCal Grantmakers
Sequoia supports the Vice President of Professional Learning & Family Philanthropy, by managing the development and implementation of programs and events in coordination with outside partners and other SoCalGrantmakers staff. She oversees programmatic, logistical, and administrative aspects of programs to support the Programs and Conferences team.
Sequoia is a Senior Trainer for the Los Angeles County Lesbian Bisexual and Queer Women’s Health Collaborative. She has experience facilitating interactive dialogue about intersectionality, racial healing, gender identity, and has spoken on international panels including the 2017 Opportunities for a more Inclusive Higher Education with the former Dutch Minister of Education, Jet Bussemaker at Universiteit Van Amsterdam. Sequoia incorporates storytelling to humanize the difficult discussions that individuals and society at large are not having. This pairing of storytelling and administrative decolonizing creates a powerfully impactful ambiance for transformational and sustainable change.
Sequoia is passionate about dedicating to being a part of healing the hearts of those affected by systemic anti-Black racism, challenge the institutions who overtly and/or covertly perpetuate it, and continue to challenge ourselves so we don’t perpetuate this systemic plague that separates us.
Sequoia is a Senior Trainer for the Los Angeles County Lesbian Bisexual and Queer Women’s Health Collaborative. She has experience facilitating interactive dialogue about intersectionality, racial healing, gender identity, and has spoken on international panels including the 2017 Opportunities for a more Inclusive Higher Education with the former Dutch Minister of Education, Jet Bussemaker at Universiteit Van Amsterdam. Sequoia incorporates storytelling to humanize the difficult discussions that individuals and society at large are not having. This pairing of storytelling and administrative decolonizing creates a powerfully impactful ambiance for transformational and sustainable change.
Sequoia is passionate about dedicating to being a part of healing the hearts of those affected by systemic anti-Black racism, challenge the institutions who overtly and/or covertly perpetuate it, and continue to challenge ourselves so we don’t perpetuate this systemic plague that separates us.
Jennifer Vanore, Ph.D. SCG Member
President & COO, UniHealth Foundation
Jen joined UniHealth Foundation in 2015 and was appointed President and COO in 2018. She is responsible for overseeing all grantmaking and the day-to-day functions of the Foundation. In addition, she previously served as a Program Manager for The California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities, and has worked in clinic, hospital and social service settings. She is a native Angeleno, loves science fiction movies, and loves cooking homemade pasta with her family.
Dr. Rosemary Veniegas SCG Member
Director of Health Programs, California Community Foundation
With 25 years of experience in health promotion, Rosemary Veniegas currently serves as Director of Health Programs at the California Community Foundation (CCF). CCF’s mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles (LA) County. Dr. Veniegas serves on the Healthcare Delivery and Disparities Research Panel of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, which was established as part of the Affordable Care Act. She is a member of the LA County Commission on Hospitals and Healthcare Delivery and the California Department of Health Care Services Behavioral Health Stakeholder Advisory Committee. Previously, Dr. Veniegas was an implementation scientist and researcher in academic departments of family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, psychology, and psychiatry. She received her Ph.D. in social psychology from UCLA.
Adrienne Wittenberg SCG Member
Executive Director, S. Mark Taper Foundation
Adrienne Wittenberg serves as Executive Director of the S. Mark Taper Foundation. She has worked at the Foundation for the past 20 years in both financial management and grantmaking positions. Wittenberg is a member of Southern California Grantmakers’ Finance and Audit Committees. Prior to joining the field of philanthropy, she earned her license as a Certified Public Accountant while working as a tax consultant with the public accounting firm, Deloitte and Touche. Wittenberg is a member of the AICPA and the California Society of CPA’s.