April 10, 2015 – San Diego, CA – The San Diego Foundation today announced the hire of two new directors in key leadership positions: Robyn Sharp as Planned Giving Director, and Shawn Lowery as Information Technology Director.

Sharp will work with donors who wish to remember and support the San Diego community through legacy funds and planned gifts. She will also manage estate administration activities, and work with local nonprofit organizations to establish endowment funds and planned gifts. Sharp began her career at The Foundation managing the San Diego Regional Disaster Fund following the 2007 Southern California Wildfires, for which she earned a commendation for leadership from the California State Legislature. More recently, she managed The Foundation’s corporate and mitigation clients, providing strategic program development and grant making support for employee engagement, sponsorships and other charitable activities. She has also worked in community relations with CareFusion and community development with the San Diego Association of Governments. Sharp graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and American cultures.

Lowery will develop and implement the IT strategy of the organization, as well as manage IT infrastructure, staff and vendor solutions to ensure The San Diego Foundation is positioned at the forefront of nonprofit IT innovation. Lowery has extensive experience building IT infrastructures that address business and system requirements in the nonprofit industry. He previously served as Director of Technology the National Association of Music Merchants where he was responsible for the enterprise-wide technology strategic plans. He also worked at the YMCA of Orange County leading a team on the design and implementation of information technology and marketing solutions. Lowery earned a master’s degree in business from Colorado State University.

About The San Diego Foundation
Founded in 1975, The San Diego Foundation’s purpose is to promote and increase effective and responsible charitable giving. The Foundation manages more than $675 million in assets, more than half of which reside in permanent endowment funds that extend the impact of today’s gifts to future generations. Since its inception, The Foundation has granted more than $916 million to the San Diego region’s nonprofit community. For more information, visit The San Diego Foundation’s website, SDF News blog, Facebookand Twitter pages.

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