December 16, 2025
San Diego’s nonprofit sector shows what is possible through collaboration and shared purpose.
‘Tis the season for giving, and the LEAD Impact cohort is ready to give their time and talents to support our five Leadership Action Team (LAT) partners for 2026. December’s seminar marked the beginning of the LAT component of the program. We welcomed five organizations to join us at the San Diego Foundation to share their organizations’ mission and values, as well as their proposed projects. The 2026 LAT Partners are:
- The Center for Employment Opportunities
- FirefighterAid
- Greater Than Tech
- Just in Time
- MANA de San Diego
To learn more about the LAT projects or the partners, please visit our Nonprofit Partners webpage.
Following the partner presentations, we were joined by LEAD Impact alumni who shared their experiences with the LAT projects and participated in a Q&A with our current cohort to help set clear expectations.
Our seminar, focused on Nonprofits & Philanthropy, kicked into gear after lunch. We had the privilege of welcoming two-time LEAD graduate Katie Sawyer (15 & 18), the Assistant Vice President of Philanthropy for the San Diego Foundation, to guest facilitate the program. She led the cohort into the first panel of the day on the State of Nonprofits.
Our esteemed panelists, Dr. Laura Dietrick, the Executive Director of The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego, and Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor, the Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego, shared the harsh reality the nonprofit sector is facing in 2025. Federal funding cuts and shifting national priorities have placed nonprofits in an unprecedented position. The two transparently shared their firsthand experiences navigating these challenges and how San Diego leaders are doing their absolute best to adapt to an ever-changing landscape.
While our region has never faced obstacles quite like those of today, not all hope is lost. Dr. Dietrick and Vino emphasized that San Diego is a community of doers who do not sit back when presented with hardship. Instead, our region is more connected than ever. Out of confusion and uncertainty, a regional coalition of nonprofit and community leaders formed the San Diego Solidarity Network1. This network seeks to pull leaders “out of silos and into solidarity.” San Diego is tighter knit than ever and ready to fight to protect our region. As Dr. Dietrick put it, the nonprofit sector is truly the “resilient sector.”
Our afternoon continued with a fantastic presentation from The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. We were honored to be joined by Chief Executive Officer, Casey Castillo (09 & 24), and Director of Government Affairs & Advocacy, Andrea Caldwell (21), who shared a compelling case study on serving the community during crisis. Casey and Andrea broke down how the Food Bank proactively and effectively managed the recent 43-day government shutdown.
San Diego is proudly home to 47,000 federal employees and more than 115,000 military personnel, with nearly 10 percent of the region’s workforce directly or indirectly connected to the military2. This placed our community at unique risk due to the number of individuals suddenly not receiving a paycheck. Thankfully, the Food Bank had long been preparing for a crisis of this scale, and when the time came, they were ready to keep food flowing to those who needed it most.
The population the Food Bank regularly serves nearly doubled overnight, and the organization hosted the largest mass food distribution since the COVID-19 pandemic. Casey and Andrea highlighted the more than 450 partners that helped make it all possible and gave our cohort insight into the nonstop coordination behind the scenes. Their message echoed what Dr. Dietrick and Vino shared earlier: San Diego is a hub for collaboration, and when we work together, anything is possible.
Casey and Andrea left us with three key takeaways:
- Start planning for disaster now.
- Build relationships proactively.
- Lead through clear, strong communication.
The LEAD Impact cohort generously collected donations for the Food Bank at the last two seminars and is proud to support their continued efforts to serve our neighbors.
To wrap up the seminar, we took a walk to the brand-new Cygnet Theatre at The Joan. Development Director, Marinda Peugh, shared the background of the building and the campaign that brought it to life. In partnership with the NTC Foundation, Cygnet transformed the historic former Navy Building 178 in the Arts District Liberty Station into a world-class venue designed to elevate live performance, nurture creativity, and serve the San Diego community for generations to come. We enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour and learned about the incredible donors who made this project a reality.
As the LEAD Impact cohort moves forward with their LAT projects, this seminar served as a powerful reminder of what is possible when purpose, preparation, and partnership come together. From the resilience of our nonprofit sector to the strength of cross-sector collaboration across San Diego, our cohort left inspired and energized to roll up their sleeves and get to work alongside our LAT partners. We are deeply grateful to our speakers, panelists, alumni, and community partners for sharing their time, insights, and stories. We look forward to seeing the meaningful impact this cohort will help create throughout 2026.
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1 Learn more about the San Diego Solidarity Network.
2 The San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC) Military Economic Impact Report.