Leading Voices

Scholarships are a Lifeline for BIPOC Youth

Before Yasmin and Greg Delahoussaye started securing scholarships for youth of color through their nonprofit Educating Students Together (EST) in Los Angeles, they had been focused for 30 years on delivering tours for students interested in historically Black colleges and universities. Both Yasmin and Greg knew that higher education was the ticket to climbing the socioeconomic ladder and building generational wealth. But then right before the pandemic descended on the world, the growing gap between students’ interest and their ability to afford to attend school became too glaring to ignore. “More and more young people were telling us they loved [...more...]

Helping to Seed the Next Generation

Kimberly Emerson am 17. Juni 2022 in Berlin. Foto: Markus C. Hurek // Verwendung auf Instagram frei bei Nennung des Fotografen @menschundlicht. // Jede weitere, vor allem kommerzielle Verwendung nur mit schriftlicher Genehmigung von Markus C. Hurek When The Giving List caught up with Kimberly Marteau Emerson in mid-September, she was far from home, but on familiar terrain, nonetheless, in Berlin awaiting the imminent arrival of her husband, John Emerson, the former ambassador to Germany from 2013-2017. Six weeks of international travel lay ahead for the politically and philanthropically minded power couple. In past lives, both had been high-level campaign [...more...]

Learning From the Past: Preserving California’s Mission History

Under the leadership of David Bolton for the last 12 years, the California Missions Foundation has raised millions of dollars to preserve the state’s collection of historic Spanish missions and made their priceless collection of colonial and native art and artifacts an education destination for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year including tens of thousands of elementary school students. Beginning in the mid-1700s, the Spanish built 21 missions from San Diego to Sonoma that today provide a unique trail of history across California or what was then called Alta California. Bolton, who grew up in Santa Barbara – which [...more...]

The Ambassador: How Good Works Can Be Done in Public and Private

Actor Tommy Dewey played John Emerson in the 2018 political drama The Front Runner. The film stars Hugh Jackman in a highly dramatized rendering of the undoing of one of the most enigmatic, and influential, figures in post-Reagan-era politics: Gary Hart. Emerson became the Hart campaign’s California chair in 1984, and then deputy national campaign manager in 1986, after being inspired by Hart’s Kennedy-esque bearing and forward-facing reimagination of the Democratic Party as a Gen X-friendly coalition of socially progressives, environmentally conscious, college-educated professionals.  Hart’s campaign famously imploded when the enviably maned Colorado Senator got caught in an extramarital affair [...more...]

Solving Some of LA’s Toughest Social Issues

Miguel A. Santana, a lifelong Angeleno and self-described “generalist,” has dedicated decades of his life to addressing some of the most critical issues facing Southern California. His career has spanned across sectors – public and private, nonprofit and philanthropy – all in pursuit of advancing social justice, economic equity, and racial equality in Los Angeles.  From responding to the homeless crisis to overseeing financial matters at City Hall to championing infrastructure for arts and culture, Santana’s efforts have touched upon the many significant issues that define the social challenges of Southern California. After running the Weingart Foundation since 2021, Santana [...more...]

Harnessing Philanthropy to Help People Grow Older With Dignity

“Did you know,” Rabbi Laura Geller asks, “that on average, 10,000 people turn 65 every day in the United States?” As one of the fastest-growing demographics in the country, people 65 and older will outnumber those under 18 for the first time in history by 2035. As one of the first female rabbis ordained in the United States in 1976, Rabbi Geller tackled gender inequality in the synagogues. Now, at 73, and with no signs of slowing down, Rabbi Geller is taking on another systemic foe: ageism. Even though many people are aging and living longer, older people remain, for [...more...]

A Practitioner of Social Entrepreneurship A Practitioner of Social Entrepreneurship

As Managing Director of the Civil Society Fellowship for next generation community and civil society leaders, Nike Irvin has planted […more…]

Inside the Mind of a Quiet Philanthropist Inside the Mind of a Quiet Philanthropist

While you will often see him in the “pit” right in front of the stage at L.A.’s top nonprofit galas […more…]

Creating Partnerships to Advocate for Change Creating Partnerships to Advocate for Change

Growing up in the Inland Empire, east of Los Angeles, Bobby Grace’s parents fervently hoped he would become a doctor. […more…]

The ‘Other,’ Kalyan Balaven The ‘Other,’ Kalyan Balaven

As the first person of color to serve as Head of Dunn School in Los Olivos, California, Kalyan (“Kal”) Balaven […more…]

Extraordinary Impact Extraordinary Impact

Wallis Annenberg never set out to be a public person. Even today, as the head of a legendary family foundation […more…]

Island Boy’s Philanthropic Reach Fills the San Fernando Valley Island Boy’s Philanthropic Reach Fills the San Fernando Valley

In his childhood, Milton Valera lived near the airport on the Garden Island of Kauai, where at a young age, […more…]

Mona Sinha’s Journey to Gender Justice Mona Sinha’s Journey to Gender Justice

It’s a long way from Calcutta (now called Kolkata) for Mona Sinha, Board Chair of Women Moving Millions. Growing up […more…]

Wilma Melville: Dogged Determination Wilma Melville: Dogged Determination

Wilma Melville is the most inspirational person I’ve ever met. She has done more during her retirement than most people […more…]

Time to Switch ‘Our Investment Thesis’? Time to Switch ‘Our Investment Thesis’?

Michael Tubbs was just 26 when he was elected mayor of Stockton in 2016. Raised by a low-income, single mother, […more…]

Systems-Change Provocateur Systems-Change Provocateur

The 2013 murder of an 8-year-old named Gabriel Fernandez at the hands of his mother and her partner, dominated the […more…]

Elizabeth Faraut’s Purpose-Driven Life Elizabeth Faraut’s Purpose-Driven Life

In addition to her innate style and fashion sense, Elizabeth Faraut is perhaps best known for two things: Her Los […more…]

Equal Parts Optimist and Philanthropist Equal Parts Optimist and Philanthropist

How would you feel if you lived with multiple sclerosis for more than half a century and, in an unrelated […more…]

A Career Spent Building L.A.’s Civic Strength A Career Spent Building L.A.’s Civic Strength

As told to Joe Donnelly Steven Nissen might be the most impactful public servant you’ve never heard of, probably because […more…]

Making Entertainment More Inclusive by Joe Donnelly Making Entertainment More Inclusive by Joe Donnelly

Ahmos Hassan is a man bent on melding his philanthropic and business interests towards a more inclusive America. Across both […more…]

A Familial Legacy of Giving Back A Familial Legacy of Giving Back

Casey Wasserman is firmly established as an influential civic and business leader in Los Angeles. But this mogul’s contemporary philanthropic […more…]

‘What Good Is a Platform if You Don’t Use It for Good?’ ‘What Good Is a Platform if You Don’t Use It for Good?’

As told to Daniel Heimpel I have known CNN host Lisa Ling for nearly a decade now. I never saw her […more…]

Nurturing Agents of Change Nurturing Agents of Change

Diana Ingram counts her blessings, big and small. And that has made her a blessing to countless others in Southern […more…]

The Problem Solver The Problem Solver

When Austin Beutner was appointed first deputy mayor and “Jobs Czar” of Los Angeles in 2010, skeptics groused that the […more…]

Money as Medicine Money as Medicine

In 2018, a Native American philanthropy professional dropped a bomb on the industry. In his book, Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom […more…]

Not Letting Life Circumstances Inhibit his Ambition Not Letting Life Circumstances Inhibit his Ambition

When a Minneapolis policeman killed George Floyd in 2020, William J. Briggs II, like millions of Americans, was appalled. But […more…]

A Children’s Advocate A Children’s Advocate

Jacqueline Caster remembers the eureka moment that changed her life from career woman to full-time philanthropist and juvenile-justice advocate. It […more…]

Jihee Huh and Her Uniquely American Philanthropic Legacy Jihee Huh and Her Uniquely American Philanthropic Legacy

Hope is what Jihee Huh started with and hope is what she continues to call on through hard times.  Huh, […more…]

Opening the Door to a New Kind of Philanthropy Opening the Door to a New Kind of Philanthropy

As told to Daniel Heimpel Since 2004, Antonia Hernández has led the California Community Foundation (CCF). Over those nearly two […more…]

A Public Educator for the Public Good California State University, Northridge

Erika D. Beck has been up since 4 a.m., yet as the afternoon light fills her office, she is effervescent. […more…]