Daniel D.Beintema | Emily Young, PhD | Cheryl Alethia Phelps | Arzo Mansury | Felicia W. Shaw | Lori Finch | Marisa Aurora Quiroz | Paula Stigler | Sheryl Helvie Costello | Kerri Favela | Ruth Ambriz | Andrea Boone | Nicola Hedge | Dylan Mann

Daniel D. Beintema
Vice President, Operations & Community Partnerships
Dan brings diverse management experience and proven leadership to his role in coordinating the efforts of the Foundation’s largest department which includes: grant making and management of initiatives in seven program areas, human resources functions, and inter-departmental operations coordination. He also manages The Foundation’s Regional Disaster Fund and its response to widespread community needs following the devastating wildfires of October 2007.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Dan enjoyed 18 years in service to the City of Chula Vista, the last 10 of which as the executive director of the Chula Vista Nature Center. Other assignments in Chula Vista included the City Manager’s Office, the Mayor’s Office, Public Works Department, and the Fire Department. Prior to his time at Chula Vista, Dan was Director, Public Information/Resource Development at the American Red Cross, San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter.
A 1982 graduate of the University of Southern California (BS/Biology), Dan was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy. After earning the coveted “Wings of Gold”, he was stationed at NAS North Island flying the S-3 “Viking” aircraft from various land bases and aircraft carriers world-wide. Following his operational deployments, Dan reported to Commander, Naval Base San Diego and proudly served as Aide and Personal Advisor to three senior Admirals.

Emily Young, PhD
Senior Director, Environment Analysis & 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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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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Lori Finch
Director, Organizational Success Program
Lori Finch is responsible for developing tools, resources and training for San Diego’s nonprofit sector. Lori manages the Endow Partnership of Endow San Diego as well as The Foundation’s capacity building grant-making programs through the Organizational Success Program Working Group.

Lori joined The Foundation in 2005 after completing her MBA at The University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business where she concentrated in Managerial and Organizational Behavior, Strategy and Economics. Prior to completing her MBA, she held various positions within General Electric (GE) with responsibilities including financial reporting, accounting, strategic planning and as a Six Sigma Black Belt and certified Six Sigma trainer responsible for improving customer service within GE Capital Equipment Management. Lori is an active volunteer with the Junior League of San Diego and Georgetown University where she completed her BSBA in Finance.
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Marisa Aurora Quiroz
Manager, Environment Program
Marisa Aurora Quiroz currently serves as Manager for The San Diego Foundation’s Environment Program. Prior to the foundation, she worked for Hispanics in Philanthropy, helping to advance their mission of transformative change through a transnational funders network. Marisa is deeply committed to multiculturalism and social justice and has long been an advocate for women’s education. She has also worked as an admission officer and student affairs professional for a Bay Area liberal arts college for women. Born in California, Marisa has lived in Texas, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology from Mills College in Oakland, California and completed her Masters Degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management at the University of San Diego.

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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
Community Grants Administrator
Kerri has been with The Foundation for over 8 years. Her role in the Community Partnerships Department has included support to the various program working groups, managing the daily flow of information through the office of the Senior Vice President, and overall departmental coordination. Currently, Kerri is responsible for administering The Foundation’s discretionary grantmaking programs and providing grant support to the affiliate foundations and supporting organizations. Additionally, Kerri provides assistance to the Vice President, Operations and Community Partnerships with special projects and the Science & Technology program. Before joining The Foundation, Kerri spent several years as Office Manager of 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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Nicola Hedge
Thomas Murphy Research Fellow
Nicola supports the Environment Program of the Community Partnerships department with research and analysis for the Foundation’s Climate Change Initiative. She is tasked with informing the strategic grant making of the initiative through analysis of best practices, identifying local priorities, and helping to convene local stakeholders in discussions. Concurrently, Nicola is working towards her Master’s in Pacific and International Affairs at the University of California, San Diego where she focuses her studies in international development and nonprofit management. At UCSD, she also works as a research assistant and has been recognized as a Dean’s Fellow for her accomplishments. Her past work in the nonprofit sector includes consulting for a sustainable development project in Baja California, assisting in the production of a daily Los Angeles National Public Radio show, and as a volunteer on building and research projects with Habitat for Humanity in Costa Rica and Zambia.
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Dylan Mann
Thomas Murphy Research Fellow

Dylan supports to the Health and Human Services, Civil Society, and Science and Technology Working Groups at The San Diego Foundation. He has played an integral role in the grantmaking process for the $3M Paradise Valley Community Health Fund. Dylan created an online platform facilitating public participation in the Regional Vision Initiative and conducted a study of grants from the Blasker-Rose-Miah Science and Technology Fund. Before coming to The San Diego Foundation, Dylan was a Development Coordinator at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista and a Grant Writer for Strategic Community Consulting. Dylan has a Master’s in Pacific and International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego, where he was a Dean’s Fellow and Hans Schoepflin Fellow. He is fluent in Spanish and Thai and has worked for NGO’s in Mexico and Thailand.

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