Liza Crisafi has practiced community service since middle school when she spent a summer in her hometown of South Bend, Indiana, volunteering as a teacher’s aide working with children on the autism spectrum. She later donated her time to the Merit School of Music, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and the Girl Scouts. Today, the retired investment professional focuses her efforts on San Diego Foundation, where she serves on the Board of Governors and chairs the Investment Committee.
“I like being involved in the community, and being part of an organization like the Foundation that is doing such impactful work is both important and rewarding,” Liza says of her motivation in accepting an invitation to join the board.
She brings a lot to the table, having spent decades in the banking and finance industry before retiring as Chief Investment Officer of the San Diego City Employees’ Retirement System (SDCERS) in 2022. At SDCERS, she oversaw investments, set policy, and guided asset allocation, helping double the fund’s value from $5 billion to more than $10 billion.
A Focus on Education
As an SDF board member, Liza’s primary focus is on education.
What the Foundation is doing with its Community Scholarship Program and partnership with the BiGI program is a difference maker,” says Liza. She points to last year’s record $5.5 million in scholarships awarded to 1,371 students— most of them low-income, first-generation college students—and BiGI’s mission of creating college pathways for sixth graders as game changers.
Education runs in Liza’s family. Her father was a professor at the University of Notre Dame. Her mother taught English at a grade school and drama at a high school, and a son is now a high school teacher in the Los Angeles suburb of Pomona.
“I feel like kids these days are facing so many more challenges that what I did when I was growing up,” Liza said. “We would pretty much just go riding our bicycles without a care in the world. For people who had so much growing up and have done well in life, it’s really critical for them to share some of that good fortune in any way you can.”
She’s not alone in that view.
“I was at a recent dinner with some of our largest donors and a question that came up was what is the most important area we should be focused on,” Liza recalls. “For our table and several others, it was education. It’s an area where we can really impact lives.”
In-Demand Skills
Pictured above: Golden Dome of the University of Notre Dame (Credit: Steven Van Elk)
Liza grew up a few blocks from Notre Dame, where she later earned a bachelor’s degree in art history. “I had delusions of becoming a museum curator, which quickly faded,” she says. “We had four local banks in town, and my father suggested I introduce myself and hand out resumes.”
A quick study, she would spend nearly six years as an investment officer. She later moved to Chicago, holding roles at SCI Capital Management, US Bank, and La Salle Bank/Chicago Trust Company, where she managed corporate and individual investment portfolios. She earned an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and later moved to San Diego, where she served as Vice President for Wheeler Frost Associates and founded Crisafi Investment Management before spending 14 years at SDCERS managing billions of dollars in retirement funds.
Liza also chaired the Girl Scouts San Diego Board of Directors and has served on several other nonprofit boards, including The Brandes Center at UC San Diego and the San Diego City Retired Employees Association.
She sees her role on SDF’s board as supporting SDF President and CEO Mark Stuart in realizing the organization’s mission.
Her advice to future board members? “Bring your lived experience to the table. Don’t be afraid to speak up. And always keep our community foremost in your mind.”
