Board of Directors


SCG Board of Directors

Board Officers

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Latonya Slack, Chair
Senior Program Officer, California Democracy Program
The James Irvine Foundation

Latonya Slack, senior program officer, California Democracy Program, oversees Civic Engagement grantmaking at the James Irvine Foundation. She previously served as executive director of the California Black Women's Health Project, Inc. and worked for the Service Employees International Union, Local 399. Slack has served on a number of boards and committees committed to issues of equity and access. She is a 2006 German Marshall Fund fellow and recently completed the Council on Foundations' inaugural 2010-11 Career Pathways Program. Previously, she served as vice chair of SCG's Board of Directors, co-chaired SCG's Public Policy Committee and served on the Finance Committee, in addition to co-facilitating the Fundamentals of Effective Grantmaking ethics class for five years.

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Kafi Blumenfield, Vice Chair
President and Chief Executive Officer
Liberty Hill Foundation

Kafi Blumenfield is president and Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Hill Foundation. Since 2007 she has led the organization in its mission of bringing about change in Los Angeles through support of community and grassroots organizations. Before taking the helm at the Foundation she was involved in its LibertyVote! program, which is nonpartisan and increases turnout among low-income neighborhoods and disenfranchised groups.


William H. Ahmanson, Treasurer

President
The Ahmanson Foundation

William H. Ahmanson oversees The Ahmanson Foundation's grantmaking, which serves Los Angeles County by funding cultural projects in the arts and humanities, education at all levels, health care, programs related to homelessness and underserved populations as well as a wide range of human services. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ahmanson was in the banking industry. He also serves on the boards of several major cultural and charitable institutions.

 


Jennifer M. Lynch, Secretary
Senior Director
STAPLES Center Foundation

Jennifer Lynch is senior director of STAPLES Center Foundation, part of the community affairs/corporate philanthropy arm of AEG, a sporting and music entertainment presenter that is the world's largest owner of sports teams. The Foundation works with the local community to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods surrounding STAPLES Center and the L.A. LIVE campus. Previously, Lynch served as senior director for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. She serves as chair on the Board of Directors at the Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center and as an Advisory Board member of Peace Over Violence. Lynch also chairs SCG's Membership Committee.

 

Sushma Raman
President
Southern California Grantmakers

Sushma Raman sets the strategic direction and priorities for Southern California Grantmakers, overseeing programming, communications, member services and public policy. Raman joined SCG as president in January 2007. She previously served with The Ford Foundation as program manager of the International Initiative to Strengthen Philanthropy and with the Open Society Institute in Los Angeles, as well as the Los Angeles Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

Board Members


Carl A. Ballton

Senior Vice President & Deputy Group Head of the Corporate Social Responsibility Group of Union Bank; President and Chief Operating Officer
Union Bank Foundation


Carl A. Ballton is responsible for implementing the charitable contribution policies and initiatives of both Union Bank and the Union Bank Foundation. In 2010, Union Bank contributed more than $10 million as part of its commitment to reinvest at least 6.5 percent of assets back into the community. Grants made by the Foundation are focused primarily on community economic development, affordable housing, education and the environment.


Magdalena Beltrán-del Olmo

Vice President of Communications
The California Wellness Foundation

As vice president of communications at The California Wellness Foundation, Magdalena Beltrán-del Olmo oversees all communications and public education efforts for the Foundation, which is nationally recognized in the field of philanthropy for its grants to improve the health of the people of California through education, disease prevention and other health programs. Beltrán-del Olmo has also served as director of public affairs and communications with Kaiser Permanente and vice president of the social marketing firm Coronado Communications.


Edmund J. Cain
Vice President, Grant Programs
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Edmund J. Cain oversees all domestic and international grant programming at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, including overall responsibility for the Foundation's strategic planning. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served for five years as director of The Carter Center’s Global Development Initiative. A senior member of The Carter Center’s Peace Program team, he advised President Carter on global development issues and participated in election monitoring missions.


R. Christine 
Hershey  
President and Founder
Hershey|Cause

Individual philanthropist R. Christine Hershey is the founder and catalyst for Hershey|Cause, guiding its overall strategic and creative vision. She consults regularly with CEOs and senior executives throughout the country, advising on positioning, identity and strategy. Her experience in both the corporate and philanthropic sectors includes such Fortune 500 companies as Disney, Wells Fargo and AT&T (Cingular) as well as the World Health Organization, the Institute of Medicine and The Nature Conservancy.

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Cathy Hession

President and Executive Director
The Carol and James Collins Foundation

Cathy Hession is president and executive director of The Carol and James Collins Foundation, where she has served since 1998. The Foundation is a family foundation that does grantmaking in Los Angeles County in a variety of areas, with a special interest in education and youth services.

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Rachel Levin

Associate Director
Righteous Persons Foundation

Rachel Levin is associate director of the Righteous Persons Foundation, which she helped establish with Steven Spielberg in 1994. The Foundation has made grants totaling almost $75 million to strengthen and revitalize Jewish life in the United States as well as the Foundation's recent Fund for Co-Existence. Previously, she worked in the California political scene. Levin is also a co-founder of Reboot and Joshua Venture: A fellowship for Jewish Social Entrepreneurs.


Deborah Marrow
Director
The Getty Foundation

Dr. Deborah Marrow is director of The Getty Foundation, which fulfills the philanthropic mission of the J. Paul Getty Trust by advancing the understanding and preservation of the visual arts locally and around the world. She has also held a variety of key positions within the Trust, including interim president and chief executive officer, dean for external relations and interim director of the Getty Research Institute.


Sylia Obagi
Director of Operations
The Annenberg Foundation

Sylia Obagi serves as the director of operations for the Annenberg Foundation, one of the largest private family foundations in the United States. In her role as director of operations, her portfolio of responsibilities includes overseeing the Foundation’s Los Angeles program staff and strategic grantmaking, capacity building initiatives, finance, information technology, operations and business administration, human resources and the new Annenberg Space for Photography.


Mary Odell

President
UniHealth Foundation

Mary Odell is president of the UniHealth Foundation. Established in 1998, the UniHealth Foundation is a private health care foundation that aims to support activities that significantly improve the health and well being of individuals and communities in Southern California. Prior to joining UniHealth, Ms. Odell served for eight years as president of The Riordan Foundation and its associated public foundation, Rx for Reading.


Hugh J. Ralston

President and Chief Executive Officer
Ventura County Community Foundation

Hugh Ralston serves as president and chief executive officer of the Ventura County Community Foundation, and brings extensive nonprofit and private sector experience to his leadership role. Ralston serves on the Boards of the San Francisco Theological Seminary, Scripps College, the Community Arts Music Association in Santa Barbara, the Workforce Investment Board of Ventura County, the Community Foundations National Standards Board and as treasurer of the League of California Community Foundations.


Trent Stamp
Executive Director
The Eisner Foundation

Trent Stamp joined The Eisner Foundation as executive director in 2008. In that role, he directs and manages all aspects of the Foundation's operations and represents the organization externally to various community audiences. Prior to joining The Eisner Foundation, Stamp was the founding president of Charity Navigator. Earlier in his career he served as vice-president, communications for the national nonprofit Teach For America.  

 
 
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