July 23, 2014 – San Diego, CA – The San Diego Foundation today announced it granted $47 million to nonprofit organizations in fiscal year 2014. Since its inception, The Foundation has granted $880 million to serve and improve the San Diego region.
A celebration of the year’s success and the introduction of five new Board of Governors members will take place at The San Diego Foundation 39th Annual Meeting on Thursday, July 24 at 5:30pm at Paradise Point resort. This year, 140 new funds were opened, including 55 endowments, with contributions and partial investment gains of $48.5 million. In July, The Foundation established its 1,000th endowment fund, a significant donor investment in San Diego. Assets currently total $660 million.
In July 2014, Hal Dunning, Elisabeth Eisner Forbes, Ileana Ovalle Engel, Donna Marie Robinson and Yolanda S. Walther-Meade joined a Board of Governors composed of 30 volunteers with diverse professional backgrounds who are involved in many community and charitable activities. The Board oversees The Foundation by establishing policy, setting priorities, and making final decisions to approve awards and grants.
“As we come together for our annual event, we are honored to announce that these dynamic, community-minded individuals have accepted the call to serve on the Board,” said Steven R. Smith, Chair of The San Diego Foundation’s Board of Governors. “Yolanda, Ileana, Donna Marie, Elisabeth and Hal all care deeply about our community and their distinguished characteristics and years of experience will help further The Foundation mission.”
Hal Dunning is the Principal, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Barney & Barney. In addition to overseeing the accounting department, Hal has overall responsibility for human resources, facilities, information technology, corporate communications and legal affairs. In 2009, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the San Diego Business Journal’s CFO of the Year awards and was previously recognized as a “CFO of the Year.” He is a LEAD San Diego graduate and was presented with its Herb Klein Visionary Leadership Award.
Active in the community, Hal served for 11 years as the Presidents of the Board of Walden Family service, is a member of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, serves on the Board of Directors of the Barney & Barney Foundation, and has volunteered weekly at Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, for the past 19 years.
Elisabeth Eisner Forbes is a seasoned attorney in private practice with broad corporate, finance and real estate experience. Additionally, she has developed a strong specialty in federal and state laws applicable to nonprofit organizations. As such, she has represented numerous hospitals, major medical centers, universities, retirement facilities and research facilities. Elisabeth’s volunteer experience includes serving as the past Director of the YMCA Corporate Board of Directors and as a member of the San Diego Women’s Foundation, the KPBS Producer’s Club, the UCSD Chancellor’s Associates and The San Diego Foundation’s Finance Committee.
Ileana Ovalle Engel is the state director of government affairs for Cox California, leading a dynamic team that builds and maintains positive relations with local, state and federal government officials to cultivate an optimal environment for the third largest cable and telecommunications company in the United States. In addition to government affairs, land use and public policy, Ileana successfully promotes Cox’s community involvement and charitable giving.
A native San Diegan and avid volunteer, Ileana was named a 2014 Metro Mover by San Diego Metropolitan Magazine and is a recipient of the U-T San Diego’s Emerging Leader Award. She served on the Board of Junior Achievement San Diego and is the past Board Chair and current Capital Campaign Chair of Ocean Discovery Institute.
Donna Marie Robinson is a retired Vice President/Client Manager for Bank of America, bringing years of experience in managing commercial lending portfolios for diverse industries including utilities, healthcare, finance, insurance and banking. She was a member of the San Diego Women’s Foundation, serves as on the Board for the Community Resource Center, has belonged to the Encinitas Coastal Rotary Club for nine years, is a LEAD San Diego graduate and serves as a member of the LEAD San Diego Alumni Association Council.
Yolanda Selene Walther-Meade is a media expert specializing in marketing, public relations and community outreach. In her former role as Voice of the Border, Yolanda interpreted for Presidents, Pulitzer Prize winners and Nobel Laureates, including four Mexican Presidential Administrations, the Prime Minister of Spain, Carlos Fuentes, and Octavio Paz on every issue under the bilateral agenda pertaining to sustainable development.
A second-generation catalyst of civic engagement and philanthropy, Yolanda serves as current/past Board member for organizations such as San Diego Museum of Art, Club de Ninos y Ninas de Tijuana, International Community Foundation, LEAD San Diego, San Diego Natural History Museum, and is a member of The San Diego Foundation’s Center for Civic Engagement Leadership Council. She has been recognized with the KPBS and Union Bank Heritage Heroes Award as well as with the San Diego Business Journal’sWomen Who Mean Business Award.
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 $660 million in assets, almost 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 $880 million to the San Diego region’s nonprofit community. For additional information, please visit The San Diego Foundation at sdfoundation.org.
Contact
Vince Heald, Beck Ellman Heald, 858-453-9600, vheald@behmedia.com
Heather Back, The San Diego Foundation, 619-235-2300, heather@sdfoundation.org
