Keynote Speaker

Judy Belk, President & CEO, The California Wellness Foundation
Within just the last few months, Judy Belk has stepped into a new leadership role as President of The California Wellness Foundation. Her speech at this event will be one of the first opportunities to hear her overarching vision for the future of this important and valued foundation, and she will discuss the evolving relationships between our state’s nonprofits and the philanthropic community.

Judy Belk is president and chief executive officer of The California Wellness Foundation, a private independent foundation created in 1992 with a mission to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. One of the largest health grantmaking organizations in the state, the Foundation is recognized nationally for its strategic core operating support that builds and sustains the capacity of health and human-service nonprofit organizations, and for its public policy grantmaking.
     
Belk is a seasoned leader with more than 25 years of senior management experience in philanthropic, government, nonprofit and corporate sectors. Before joining the Foundation in April 2014, she served as senior vice president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), a position she held since 2002. She is a frequent writer and speaker on organizational ethics, race and social change, and her work has been recognized with several state and national awards.

Session Speakers

Fred Ali is President & CEO of the Weingart Foundation, which is among the nation’s leading philanthropic institutions, making grants exclusively in Southern California.  Fred also chairs the Board of the Center on Philanthropy and Public Policy, University of Southern California and is Senior Fellow of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.  Fred serves on the Board of Directors of CalNonprofits.

Vanessa Aramayo is the Executive Director of the California Partnership, a statewide coalition of over 140 community-based groups, organizing and advocating for programs and policies that reduce and end poverty.  She develops and implements strategies to help strengthen community voices to create a more just state budget that protects core services and programs, raises revenues, secures quality, affordable, and accessible health care and develops electoral power in key and under-represented communities.  She also served in the public sector working for the US House of Representatives and the California State Assembly.

Abby Arnold is an organizational consultant and grant writer whose clients include non-profit organizations, local governments, unions, and faith-based groups. Abby specializes in large government grants for health care, human services, housing, and education. She has over 20 years of experience in writing proposals to the federal government, State of California and Los Angeles County.  One of her proposals was awarded $65k from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2013, her work resulted in over $8 million in grants to her clients.

Karen Baker currently serves as California’s Chief Service Officer for Governor Jerry Brown. She leads CaliforniaVolunteers, the State Service Commission charged with administering the nation’s largest state AmeriCorps portfolio. In addition, CaliforniaVolunteers serves as the lead agency for disaster volunteering and donations management, and promotes volunteering and service across California.

Ken Berger of the President and CEO of Charity Navigator, which he joined in 2008 after almost thirty years experience working in the charitable non-profit sector. He has held leadership positions at a variety of human service and health care agencies, both large and small, and has operated programs serving the homeless, the developmentally disabled, the mentally ill, substance abusers, the medically underserved, and persons with HIV/AIDS, among many others. Ken has a deep passion for helping donors become wise givers by learning to make intelligent social investments in high impact nonprofits.

Hardy Brown II is the Executive Director of the Black Voice Foundation for Media, History, & the Arts in San Bernadino.  He has has over 17 years experience in non-profit development and organizational Leadership, and has worked for the United Negro College Fund, United Way of Orange County and sits as the trustee for the San Bernardino County board of Education. He is a diversity columnist for the National Association of Colleges and Employers, past member of the board of directors for Arrowhead’s United Way and current Co-Chair of the Inland Empire Minority Led Resource Coalition.

Maria Cabildo is President & Co-Founder of East LA Community Corporation, which fuses grassroots community organizing, contextualized real estate development and asset building to preserve and enhance communities.  She has spent her career promoting and advancing socially and economically just community development in East Los Angeles, the community where she was born and raised.

Janet Camarena is the Director of the Foundation Center-San Francisco, where she perform extensive outreach for the Center's resources and services in the Bay Area and beyond, planning and overseeing educational programming offered in the Western region, carrying out donor development and cultivation, producing and conducting online programming such as the Philanthropy Chat podcast series, and most recently leading the creation, management, and redesign of the Glasspockets web site, which is dedicated to promoting foundation transparency.

Peter Comiskey is the Executive Director of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership where he leads the collaborative activities for 28 art, science and cultural institutions in Balboa Park, located in the heart of San Diego. The Cultural Partnership provides a collective voice (advocacy), drives sustainability efforts in the institutions buildings, runs the Balboa Park Explorer Program (common passes for all museums), provides professional development opportunities through the park.  He is also a member of the steering committee for the San Diego Regional Arts and Culture Coalition and a member of the Advocacy Committee for the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

Rick Cohen is the Washington-based national correspondent of Nonprofit Quarterly magazine and an award-winning investigative journalist.  Prior to joining NPQ, he had been executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, a national philanthropic watchdog.  His experience includes having served as vice president of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, vice president of the Enterprise Foundation, and director of Jersey City’s Department of Housing and Economic Development.  

David Giugni is Social Services Manager for the City of West Hollywood, where he oversees $7.7 Million is contracts for direct Social Service and Transit programming. David represents the City of West Hollywood on the Los Angeles County Commission for HIV and Health Services. In addition, David staffs the City of West Hollywood’s Human Services Commission, Disabilities Advisory Board and HIV/Substance Abuse Prevention Providers’ Collaborative.
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Sarah de Guia is the Director of Government Affairs at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, where she leads the organization’s legislative agenda. She previously worked with CPEHN in 2008 as Project Manager for the Having Our Say Coalition, where she organized the statewide coalition to advocate on behalf of communities of color for health care reform. Sarah has also served as the Health Program Manager for Latino Issues Forum and as Legislative Analyst for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. 

Tim Delaney is the President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits.  During his career, Tim has helped nonprofits from a variety of vantage points, including as an attorney, author, board chair, CEO, consultant, founder, incubator, lobbyist, teacher, trainer, and volunteer. Tim previously served as board chair of Valley Leadership, adjunct faculty member at a major university teaching courses on “Leadership & Ethics in the Nonprofit Sector,” author of a guidebook on nonprofit advocacy, and as a national Training Fellow for the nonpartisan Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest.

Laura Deitrick serves as the Director for the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research at the University of San Diego.  Laura is the Principal Investigator of the Economic and Social Impact Study of California's Nonprofit Sector, and is a faculty member in USD’s Nonprofit Leadership and Management master’s program where she teaches nonprofit research methods, program design, and evaluation.

Jonathan Durnford is Principal of DataLake, llc., a research and management consulting firm which he founded in 2006 specializing in charitable giving and nonprofit operations research.  Jon served as COO and Executive Director of the national Association of Performing Arts Presenters and in various management positions in arts, healthcare, association, and foundation organizations since 1990.  Jon is an Affiliated Scholar at the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS); a member of the AFP Research Council; and researcher with NCCS, Indiana University, and the University of San Diego.  

Robert Egger is the Founder and President of L.A. Kitchen which works to professionally recover fresh food, with an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, and use it to fuel a culinary arts job training program for men and women coming out of foster care, or older men and women returning from incarceration.  Robert pioneered this model during his  24 year tenure as the President of the DC Central Kitchen, the country’s first “community  kitchen”.  Robert is  also the Founder and President of CForward, an advocacy organization that rallies employees  of nonprofits to educate candidates about the economic role that nonprofits play in every community.

Sandra Flores is the Senior Program Officer for the Fresno Regional Foundation serving California’s Central San Joaquin Valley, where she oversees the competitive grantmaking program which includes Arts & Culture, Youth, Human Services, Environment, and High Impact. In addition, she leads the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grantmaking Initiative which began in 2007. She also serves on the Transition Committee for the new CSU Fresno President, and was one of the first recipients of the Community Leadership Award for Tulare County from The Latino Commission in 2013.

Natalie Garcia is the Customer Service Supervisor of the Property & Casualty Division at CalNonprofits Insurance Services. She has over ten years experience in the Commercial Insurance Industry and has a history steeped in customer service and education. Her primary goal is to provide clients with accessible expertise and a problem-solving approach to the complex world of insurance. 


Geoff Green is the Executive Director of the Fund for Santa Barbara where he has served as a staff member since 1997.  In 1994, Geoff was elected to a four-year term on the Isla Vista Recreation and Park District Board of Directors where he served until pursuing a career as a Park Ranger/Naturalist in Yosemite National Park.  Geoff has served on numerous boards and has advised hundreds of nonprofit organizations, foundations, public agencies, and labor organizations.  For 2014 Geoff is serving as the Treasurer of the Board for the California Association of Nonprofits.

Jocelyn Guihama is the Executive Director for the Center for Civil Society at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs where she manages research that examine the role of philanthropy and nonprofits.  Previously, Ms. Guihama worked in Bay Area nonprofit organizations that focus on youth, education and immigration. She received her B.A. with distinction from UC Berkeley and studied Mandarin Chinese at the Taipei Language Institute.  She earned her Master’s in Public Policy at UCLA and was a founding member of the department’s Alumni Council. 

Marqueece Harris-Dawson is President and CEO of the Community Coalition where he has been deeply involved and committed to the organization’s mission, working arduously to improve the social and economic conditions in South Los Angeles that lead to crime, violence, substance abuse and poverty.  Hehas been a leader in the South Los Angeles community for more than 20 years leading important social justice campaigns aimed at improving the quality of life for all African American and Latino residents in the community.  

Ignacio Hernandez is the founder of Hernandez Strategy Group, a full-service lobbying firm in Sacramento specializing in representation of public interest organizations. Over the past decade, Ignacio has helped to pass a wide array of laws including: online voter registration, establishing the human right to water, criminal justice sentencing reform, and overtime pay for domestic workers. Hernandez Strategy Group has also secured more than $500 million in the California State Budget. Ignacio has prior experience working as Chief of Staff in both the State Assembly and State Senate. 

Tania M. Ibanez is Senior Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Charitable Trust Section of the California Attorney General’s Office.  Ms. Ibanez manages a staff of eleven lawyers, eight auditors and also supervises the work of the Registrar of Charitable Trusts, who administers the Registry of Charitable Trusts.


Cecily Jackson-Zapata is Principal at Sustainable Law Group, P.C., a social enterprise law firm.  She provides legal counsel to nonprofit organizations, hybrid entities, green businesses and other small businesses, with an emphasis on serving social mission organizations that use business strategies to solve systemic problems.  She is a member of the Boards of Directors of LA Kitchen and Strong Food.

Katie Kleinsasser is the Director of Communications at the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits). Katie has nearly thirty years of experience in the field of strategic communications for nonprofit organizations. She served as Senior Vice President at the groundbreaking nonprofit communications firm Public Media Center, and provides nonprofit communications consulting services through Your Message Media, which she co-founded.

Kris Lev-Twombly is the Director of Public Policy for the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits) in Sacramento, where he represents California’s nonprofit community in policy advocacy on prominent sector-wide issues. Previously, Kris was CEO of Discus Strategy & Development and Associate Director and at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.


Tim Little is the Chief Executive & Principal Grants Officer of the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, a grantmaking public charity that emphasizes building grassroots civic engagement capacity, and supporting community-based social, environmental and consumer activism. Before co-founding the Rose Foundation 21 years ago, he held leadership positions with the Coalition for Clean Air, Heal the Bay, and Communities for a Better Environment. Other past affiliations include serving on the boards of Earthshare, Sierra Nevada Alliance, and Confluence Philanthropy.

Peter Manzo is President & CEO of United Ways of California. Previously, Pete was Director of Strategic Initiatives for Advancement Project, Executive Director and General Counsel of the Center for Nonprofit Management, and Directing Attorney of Community Development Programs for Public Counsel.  Pete is a member of the Board of Directors of CalNonprofits.


Jan Masaoka is CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits), leading the organization on a new course with renewed activity and impact through initiatives such as the Vote with Your Mission campaign.  Jan is a leading writer and thinker on nonprofit organizations; she also publishes Blue Avocado magazine.


Jeff McDonald is a reporter at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where he investigates federal, county, state and San Diego city matters for the U-T Watchdog team. Following publication of a months-long investigation into corruption and mismanagement at the San Diego Food Bank, McDonald was invited to apply to a graduate program at the University of San Diego, where he received a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership and management in 2008. 

Ulises Regaladois an Employee Benefits Account Manager at CalNonprofits Insurance Services where he fosters professional client relationships, delivers personalized and prompt service, and presents solutions that meet nonprofit needs throughout California.  He has over ten years of experience in the Investment and Insurance industries. 


Norma Mtume is the co-founder, Chief Financial and Operations Officer for SHIELDS for Families. She is also a co-founder of the SHIELDS Housing Corporation and UMMA Community Clinic, a federally qualified health clinic in South Los Angeles.  Norma’s transformative leadership was recognized in 2006 and 2007 by the Durfee Foundation, which rewards creativity and risk-taking.  In 2012, Norma received the “Maya Angelou Award” from the Coalition of Mental Health Professionals, for being an inspirational leader in community healthcare and working to eliminate healthcare disparities.

Latonya Slack is principal and founder of Slack Global Consulting, which specializes in facilitating, visioning and assisting individuals and organizations with planning and navigating critical decisions. Previously, Latonya was Senior Program Officer at the James Irvine Foundation, Executive Director of the California Black Women’s Health Project, and was a political organizer for the  Service Employees International Union.  Latonya serves on the Board of Directors of CalNonprofits.

Sarah Stegemoeller is a senior staff attorney at Public Counsel, the largest pro bono public interest law office in the nation. She has worked since 2005 in the Community Development Project, where she provides general corporate and tax advice to nonprofit organizations that serve communities and individuals struggling with poverty in Los Angeles County. In addition to direct client service, Sarah is a frequent presenter at board meetings and retreats, and author of articles and publications on legal topics of interest to managers and directors of 501(c)(3)

Gene Takagi is the managing attorney of the NEO Law Group and a former Outstanding Barrister of the Year (Bar Association of San Francisco).  He is a California nonprofit attorney who has provided corporate, tax, and governance counsel to hundreds of nonprofit clients. He has successfully helped strengthen nonprofits and social enterprises with responsive and comprehensible guidance in areas including: formation, tax-exempt status, governance, legal compliance, document review, collaborations, mergers, earned income, advocacy, international activities, and dissolution. 

Paul Vandeventer is president and CEO of Community Partners, a   nonprofit he co-founded in 1992 to help foster, launch and grow creative solutions to community challenges. Paul has led the organization through 20 years of dynamic growth and development to now include more than 135 projects, a core staff of 30, close to a dozen partnerships with grantmakers, and annual revenues of over $26 million. Paul’s expertise includes management, training, and organizational development. He is the co-author of “Networks that Work: A Practitioner’s Guide to Managing Networked Action,” and writes and speaks extensively on civil society and its dependence on a holistic model of engagement.

Karin Wang is the Vice President of Programs and Communications at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, overseeing programs, pro bono, and communications work.  She has been active in local, state, and national organizations that seek to improve the legal system for immigrants and low-income communities. She was a founding steering committee member of API Equality-LA, leading the coalition’s media efforts against Proposition 8 in 2008.  For her activism and leadership, Wang has received the "Asian American Alumni of the Year" award from the University of Illinois and was named by NAPABA as one of its "Best Lawyers Under 40."

Irene Wong has served as Director of the Local Grantmaking Program for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Since 2008. In this role, Irene leads the Foundation’s local grantmaking through which over $14M in annual support is provided to social sector organizations that serve the California Counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, and Pueblo, CO. Irene has worked in the social sector for over two decades, mainly with corporate, community and family foundations, including serving as the first Executive Director and CEO of eBay Foundation. 

Anthony Wright Is Executive Director for Health Access California the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition. Health Access has led state and national efforts to win consumer protections, fight budget cuts and invest in our safety-net, encourage prevention, and advance coverage expansions and comprehensive health reform. Wright led California’s coalition effort to help pass the Affordable Care Act and state laws to implement and improve it, and campaigns to successfully pass first-in-the-nation laws to ensure timely access to care, and to stop hospital overcharging of the uninsured. 

Laura Zucker is the Executive Director of the LA County Arts Commission and Director of the Masters in Arts Management program at Claremont Graduate University.  The Arts Commission provides leadership in cultural services of all disciplines for the largest county in the United States, encompassing 88 municipalities and administers a $4.5 million grants program that funds more than 350 nonprofit arts organizations annually. Ms. Zucker serves on the boards of Grantmakers in the Arts, the Association of Arts Administration Educators and the Ford Theatre Foundation, and is a member of the Los Angeles Coalition.