CFC Steering Committee Members

The steering committee for this group is in the process of being formed (if you’re interested in learning more, please contact Ron Milam).

Members

Christiana DeBenedict (Co-Chair)

San Diego Foundation

Christiana DeBenedict serves as Director of Environmental Initiatives, leading programs and directing resources to build a more equitable and resilient San Diego. She has built her career locally, developing capacity, resources, programs and networks in support of our regional and binational environment and community.

As the Director of Environment Leadership Initiatives at The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego, Christiana managed The Equinox Project and the Outdoor Leaders Initiative. She also directed the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative, a network of cities and public agencies working to advance local climate solutions. Previously, Christiana served as Assistant Director of Climate Education Partners, a $5 million National Science Foundation funded project that engaged and informed government, business and community leaders on local climate impacts. As Director of Member Services and Operations at the US-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership, Christiana supported a network of 21 community foundations working to strengthen philanthropy, leadership and collaboration in the US-Mexico border region.

Christiana graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Languages and Bilingual Issues and holds an International MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.

Juliet Flores

The California Endowment

Andrea Sanchez Davidson

Resources Legacy Fund

Andrea Sanchez Davidson develops, implements, and oversees projects for Ocean, Coast, and Fisheries programs. Before joining Resources Legacy Fund, Andrea was Research Director for Intertidal Agency, providing strategic direction for new and developing ocean data projects. She is co-founder of Surfgrass Productions, a communications and film production company working to connect science, conservation, nature, and environmental justice through film, and worked for the Energy Foundation as Senior Associate for West Campaigns. Andrea holds a BA in International Relations from San Francisco State University and a Master of Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Marisa Quiroz

International Community Foundation

As the President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Community Foundation (ICF), Marisa leads the continuing evolution of ICF’s model of co-powering and strengthening communities and vulnerable natural habitats.

ICF has a bold history and track record of community impact demonstrated by its commitment to getting funding out the door and into communities. Currently, ICF is tracking 77% of funding that comes into the organization and goes out in grants the same year to local leaders and their teams. ICF works collaboratively through its relationship infrastructure with globally active funders and local program partners.

Marisa has served ICF in many roles. She previously served ICF as the Vice President of Culture and Impact, overseeing a growing portfolio of programs and special initiatives. Prior to that role, she was Senior Program Officer for Environmental Conservation, leading ICF’s Environment portfolio, emphasizing marine and terrestrial conservation in Mexico Baja California peninsula, coastal communities of the Gulf of California and the Caribbean. Marisa first joined ICF in 2015, after 7 years at The San Diego Foundation. There, she worked with regional leaders to advance conservation efforts that ensured community access to clean air, water, and nature, while promoting collaborative action on climate change. Her work at The San Diego Foundation led to the creation of the Parks for Everyone report and the Opening the Outdoors Initiative.

Marisa’s dedication to community action at the local, regional, and national levels is demonstrated by her many leadership roles. She is a co-founder of the San Diego Latina Giving Circle; she serves on the Advisory Board for the Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego and is the incoming Board Chair for the Environment Grantmakers Association. Marisa holds a master’s in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego and a bachelor’s in Anthropology and Sociology from Mills College. She is a PLACES fellow, a HOPE graduate, and a former board member for the Center for Diversity and the Environment.

Beyond serving as a leader in a nonprofit organization, she is Latina, bilingual and bicultural, bringing first-hand knowledge of the communities, initiatives, and programs ICF supports. ICF is an organization guided by purpose – to strengthen humanity with community. Marisa’s leadership of ICF sets an ambitious agenda that will advance the organization’s vision of communities as self-sustaining ecosystems of change in the border region, Mexico, Latin America and beyond.

Megan Thomas

Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties

Megan serves as Catalyst’s president & CEO, providing strategic leadership and partnership to the entire Catalyst staff, board, members, and community partners. Megan oversees Catalyst’s facilitation of collaborative efforts among its funder members and other stakeholders; leads the production of philanthropy and impact investing skills-building and issue based learning; and spearheads Catalyst’s work related to championing equity and opportunity. She strengthens Imperial and San Diego County communities through shared learning and pooled and aligned funding strategies, and initiatives fiscally sponsored by Catalyst.

Megan brings 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic fields to this role, having most recently served as Executive Director of San Diego Coastkeeper where she built partnerships among the nonprofit, business, and public sectors to advance environmental goals across San Diego County. Megan received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University and her Masters in Business Administration from Yale School of Management. She serves on the California Dignity for Families grant advisory committee at Grantmakers Concerned with Imhumans and Humans, the racial equity committee at the United Philanthropy Forum, and the board of trustees at the Museum of Us. She previously served on the board of directors of Hope Horse Ranch, United Way of San Diego County; advisory council for The San Diego Foundation’s Center for Civic Engagement; and the Port of San Diego Environmental Advisory Committee.