The San Diego Foundation Hires Katie Rast as Director of Community Impact

December 5, 2016 – San Diego, CA – Katie Rast has joined The San Diego Foundation as Director of Community Impact.

Rast will oversee Foundation programs focusing on priorities identified in Our Greater San Diego Vision and framed in WELL – Work, Enjoy, Live and Learn. Social impact areas include, but are not limited to, health & human services, arts & culture, youth development, education, and science & technology.

Rast will lead the Community Impact Department that establishes community based programmatic partnerships with non-profits and governments. She is responsible for strategic collaborations with other funders and partners, including corporations, individual, and family philanthropists.

Rast brings a wealth of programmatic expertise to The Foundation and has a proven track record of building local partnerships. Prior to joining The Foundation, she worked with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and National Science Foundation to establish Fab Lab, the first program of its kind in the San Diego region. As Executive Director, for the past 10 years she has provided program direction for Fab Lab to create a community-embedded learning laboratory and related educational programs. Additionally, Rast has served as Senior Strategy Advisor for UCSD Design Lab; Program Lead for LRNG, a MacArthur Foundation-backed initiative; Director of Marketing for Cal Coast; and Manager for the General Electric Brilliant Career Lab pilot initiative on behalf of Fab Foundation, GE Foundation and Boston Public Schools. Rast has received awards and recognition from MIT, USAID and WorldBank, San Diego Downtown Partnership, Civic San Diego and the United Nations. Rast earned her bachelor’s degree in digital media & society from Goddard College.

About The San Diego Foundation

The San Diego Foundation maximizes the impact of your charitable giving. We mobilize philanthropic resources to advance quality of life, increase social impact and champion civic engagement. For more than 40 years, The Foundation and our donors have granted more than $1 billion to grow a vibrant San Diego region. Learn more on our website, and consider a donation to the Fund for the Future Endowment which supports San Diego community needs now and forever.

Contacts

Vince Heald, Beck Ellman Heald, 858-453-9600, vheald@behmedia.com
Justin Nunez, The San Diego Foundation, 619-235-2300, justin@sdfoundation.org