Orange County Grantmakers

ORANGE COUNTY GRANTMAKERS HOSTS ANNUAL NONPROFIT LEADER SUMMIT

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Taryn Palumbo

Executive Director

714.900.2998

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ORANGE COUNTY GRANTMAKERS HOSTS ANNUAL NONPROFIT LEADER SUMMIT

250+ NONPROFIT AND FOUNDATION CHANGEMAKERS ATTEND

Orange County Grantmakers (OCG) hosted more than 250 nonprofit, philanthropic and community leaders at the Delhi Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, October 4 for its annual summit. This year’s conference theme was “Building Our Movement” and attendees heard from keynote speakers including Jessica Ladd, founder of Callisto, a nonprofit that uses technology to combat sexual assault and harassment Nicole Hockley, founder of Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit that supports common-sense solutions to prevent gun violence in our communities; Dr. Manuel Pastor with USC Dornsife’s Program for Environmental and Regional Equity; and Reverend James Lawson, retired pastor emeritus with Holman Methodist Church and colleague of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Throughout the day, the attendees – a mixture of Executive Directors, CEOs, Board Chairs, and emerging nonprofit leaders – networked and shared best practices during breakout sessions centered on the 2020 Census, intersectional movements and community resilience.

“The Orange County Grantmakers Annual Summit is our opportunity to get out from behind our respective desks, enhance relationships between nonprofits and funders, and make space for some important and creative conversations,” said OCG Board Chair Sarah Middleton. “In 2019, OC Grantmakers will continue to explore opportunities to bring nonprofit and funder leaders together and provide education and learning opportunities.”

At the summit, OCG recognized deserving leaders through two awards: the Sister Regina Legacy Leader Award, named for Sister Regina Fox, the Executive Director of the Sisters of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation, and the OC Grantmakers Emerging Leader Award. This year, OCG honored four individuals. Pamela Pimentel, Executive Director of MOMS OC and Kathleen Davis Bowman, recently retired Executive Director of WISEPlace, were both recognized as Legacy Leaders for their years of service and commitment to the Orange County community. Nithin Jilla, Program Director for the Tarsadia Foundation and Executive Director of Dreams for Schools, and Vattana Peong, Executive Director of Cambodian Family, were both honored as Emerging Leaders, having contributed substantially to their organizations and the community despite less than five years in their roles.

Summit sponsors included:

  • Title sponsor: Cox Communications
  • Silver Sponsors: PIMCO, Wells Fargo
  • Bronze Sponsors: Disneyland Resort, Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, Opus Community Foundation, Orange County Community Foundation, Pacific Life Foundation, and the Peter & Ginny Ueberroth Family Foundation

The OCG Nonprofit Leader Summit is made possible due to the support of all OCG members.

About Orange County Grantmakers

Orange County Grantmakers is a community of philanthropists committed to improving outcomes for Orange County and beyond. Our mission is to advance social impact by supporting, strengthening, and building adaptive leadership across our nonprofit and philanthropic community. 

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Mara Gay, New York Times

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