Emily Young, PhD | Cheryl Alethia Phelps | Sedra Shapiro | Arzo Mansury
Felicia W. Shaw | Anahid Brakke | Paula Stigler | Sheryl Helvie Costello | Kerri Favela | Ruth Ambriz | Andrea Boone | Barbara Bachman | John Kucharski

Emily Young, PhD
Acting Vice President of Community Partnerships
Director of Environment Analysis and Strategy
As Director of our Environment Program, Emily engages local, regional and national donors to support the environment in San Diego through research, convenings and funding partnerships. With a Working Group of committed community leaders, Emily oversees a planning process and grantmaking strategy to meet the most critical needs of San Diego's environment sector and develop funding priorities for grantmaking.

Before she joined The Foundation, Emily was an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, where she taught courses on environment and society, geography and Latin America. She also lived and worked in Baja California, Mexico, where she conducted extensive field research on marine mammal protection, community-based conservation and sustainable development in coastal marine areas of Baja California. Her research has been published in a variety of academic books and journals, including the Annals of the Association of American Geography, Human Ecology, The Geographical Review, Journal of Arid Environments, Political Ecology, and Greening the College Curriculum.

In tandem with professional work, Emily has volunteered and served on boards for a variety of environmental organizations and advisory committees to advance local conservation efforts in San Diego and Baja California, including the American Cetacean Society, Imperial Beach Tidelands Advisory Committee, Pro Esteros, Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association, and Wildcoast. She is also a member of the Imperial Beach Elementary School Site Council and the Imperial Beach Design Review Board.

Emily graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double BA in Ibero-American Studies and Spanish, and a MS in geography. She received a PhD in geography from the University of Texas at Austin. She grew up in one of the world’s environmental Meccas – Madison, Wisconsin.
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Sedra Shapiro
Acting Associate Vice President of Community Partnerships
Director, Science & Technology
Sedra brings leadership, expertise and a passion for science to her role as Director, Science & Technology, Analysis & Strategy. Sedra oversees the planning process and grantmaking strategy of the Science & Technology Working Group that supports and improves science and technology education in San Diego classrooms. Previously, Sedra was the Executive Director of Field Station Programs (FSP) of San Diego State University. Her work emphasized institutional capacity building to systemically support education and research via outdoor classrooms and living laboratories. Shapiro’s collaborations with scientists from the San Diego SuperComputer Center, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the United States Geological Service and others established the first and largest outdoor laboratory outfitted with a dense array of sensor networks and wireless data collection devices. Her work building education and business partnerships helped establish the center as a rapid prototyping test-bed for new technologies. Sedra has an extensive background in science and environmental studies and is an accomplished author and speaker. A dual major at Scripps College, she earned a bachelor’s degree in both biology and economics. She also received her Executive MBA at San Diego State University (EMBA XVII) in 2008. Her postgraduate studies include work in geography and biology at San Diego State University and in math and statistics at University of Melbourne, Australia.
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Cheryl Alethia Phelps
Director, Civil Society, Analysis & Strategy
Twenty years of experience in public interest, non-profit, and legislative environments, and a passion for social entrepreneurship inform and inspire Cheryl’s work as Director, Civil Society, Analysis and Strategy.  With a Working Group of skilled volunteers, Cheryl oversees The Foundation’s strategic philanthropy for civic engagement, identifying major issues affecting the San Diego region, and developing the initiatives, resources, capacity, and citizen leadership to achieve meaningful solutions.   

Prior to joining The Foundation, Cheryl was the principal in a consulting practice specializing in strategic planning, organizational sustainability, civic participation, and cultural enrichment. She also worked for the U.S. House of Representatives for several years, serving on the professional staff of the Legislation and National Security Subcommittee and the Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee of what is now the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  Cheryl graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Political Science.  A San Diego native, she enjoys strong community ties and an active volunteer schedule, investing her time and expertise in efforts that foster civic diversity, responsibility and participation.
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Arzo Mansury
Director, Scholarships and San Diego Teachers' Fund
Arzo oversees the Community Scholarships Program, which is dedicated to helping students achieve their academic dreams through financial assistance of their continuing education. She is also responsible for managing the San Diego Teachers’ Fund which is comprised of two distinct programs: K-6 and Arts in the Classroom. Prior to joining The San Diego Foundation Arzo was based in Washington, D.C. where she served as the Director of Programs for the International Women’s Forum. Her career in Washington began at the Embassy of Afghanistan where she served as the Press Secretary and Women’s Affairs Attaché. In those capacities she developed and executed the Embassy’s media strategy and represented the status of Afghan women to the United States and the international community. Arzo earned a double B.A. from the University of California San Diego in Ethnic Studies and Political Science with an emphasis on International Relations. She has also earned executive education certificates from the Harvard Business School and the University of Cambridge in England. Arzo is a San Diego native who is excited to be back in her hometown and contributing her experiences to the enrichment of San Diego’s youth and educators..
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Felicia W. Shaw
Director, Arts and Culture Analysis and Strategy
As director of arts and culture at the Foundation, Felicia utilizes her expertise and knowledge of San Diego’s arts and culture community to ensure that the region has the necessary resources to become a nationally competitive arts and culture center. Advised by the members of the Arts and Culture Working Group, her goal is to establish arts and culture as a community priority, to reintroduce the arts to San Diego schools, increase the capacity of arts and culture organizations to serve new audiences and cultivate donors’ passion for the arts. Prior to joining the Foundation, Felicia served as Program Manager of the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture for 17 years, overseeing the City’s multi-million arts funding program. She is a frequent panelist and juror for arts agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council. A graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in Communications, Felicia also completed post-graduate studies at UCSD in Art History, Theory and Criticism.
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Anahid Brakke
Research & Development Manager
Anahid is charged with the research and development of the Community Partnerships Department. In this capacity, she provides research that cross-cuts Working Groups, writes reports and proposals, and liaises with local organizations, leaders, donors and grantees.
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Paula Stigler
Environment Programs Manager & Tribal Liaison
Paula Stigler has been working with The San Diego Foundation for over 5 years at different levels and on environmental issues with indigenous communities in San Diego County and Mexico for over 6 years. She has also worked with the Pala Band of Mission Indians as an environmental health scientist and managed an air quality monitoring program for them. Paula has been involved in several water infrastructures and environmental health improvement projects with indigenous communities in Baja California Mexico and continues to volunteer her time in completing these projects. Currently, she is also the Principal Investigator on an epidemiological project through the Pan American Health Organization involving two indigenous communities in Mexico. She is completing her master’s degree at SDSU in environmental health sciences with the Graduate School of Public Health and expects to defend in the Fall of 2007. Paula has extensive knowledge of regional environmental issues as well as San Diego Tribes and has developed strong working relationships over the last several years with many organizations and communities. She has a strong understanding of environmental health problems faced by at-risk communities along with bi-national and regional experience in multiple facets of the environment.
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Sheryl Helvie Costello
Associate Manager, Scholarships and San Diego Teachers' Fund Programs
Sheryl is responsible for supporting The Foundation's Scholarship programs. Before joining The Foundation, Sheryl worked as an account representative for an ergonomic office products firm assisting both inside/outside accounts and the vocational rehabilitation/medical markets. Prior to that, she served as the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Community Relations at The San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau.
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Kerri Favela
Executive Assistant and Community Grants Coordinator
Kerri is the Executive Assistant to the Senior Vice President, Community Partnerships. She manages the daily flow of information through the office of the Senior Vice President and the Community Partnerships Department. She also assists the Community Partnerships department in administering the competitive grantmaking activities of The Foundation and supports the Community Partnerships Committee. Before joining The Foundation, Kerri spent several years as Office Manager for a manufacturing machine shop in San Diego.
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Ruth Ambriz
Administrative Assistant
Ruth Ambriz supports Community Partnerships by providing administrative assistance throughout the department. Her duties include research, data entry, mailing and electronic filing. She also coordinates the collection and dissemination of reports from the Community Impact grantees. Ruth has been with The Foundation for 9 years.
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Andrea Boone
Administrative Assistant, Community Scholarship and San Diego Teachers' Fund Programs
Andrea is responsible for supporting the The Foundation's Scholarship programs. Prior to joining The Foundation, Andrea worked as an On-Air Radio Talent and Voice Over Artist. Andrea has worked in a variety of industries which include telecommunications, broadcasting, retail, marketing and insurance. Andrea graduated from San Diego State University with a BS in Business Marketing, and CA Department of Insurance with a Fire & Casualty Broker-Agent License. Outside The Foundation, Andrea is a voice over artist for radio and television, and she can be found volunteering in her community and church.
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Barbara Bachman
Temporay Program Assistant
As Program Assistant, Community Partnerships, Barbara provides administrative support to five program area Working Groups by managing the monthly meeting logistics, calendars, volunteer updates and record keeping for each of these groups and the Program Directors. Barbara also assists with the coordination of Community Partnership sponsored events and convening's.
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John Kucharski
Thomas Murphy Research Fellow
As a Thomas Murphy Fellow, John provides the Community Impact department with core data, research, impact evaluation and analysis. Recently, much of his work has been focused on programs and initiatives of the Foundation’s Science and Technology Working Group. John is a graduate student studying International Economics at the University of California, San Diego; a Dean’s Fellow at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies; a researcher for Professor Krislert Samphantharak; and a Sustainable Development Consultant for the Baja Project. He has designed, implemented and evaluated health, education and economic development programs, for public and non profit organizations in the United States, Latin America and Asia. In San Diego, he has served on non profit organizations’ board of trustees. John was recently presented with a 2008 Peace Maker Award by the National Conflict Resolution Center for his role in ending a six year long boycott between the Centro Cultural de la Raza and the Southern California Chicano arts community.
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