Officers/Chairs
Julie McKay
PresidentREAL ESTATE ASSET MANAGER
Julie has been an active Women’s Foundation member since 2016. Julie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from San Jose State University. She has worked in the finance industry for the past 11 years and has been involved in numerous community and volunteer organizations during that time. She is passionate about financial education and currently works as an Investment Analyst for The Resmark Companies.
Shari Miller
Immediate Past President & Governance Vice-ChairFINANCIAL ADVISOR
Shari brings over 34 years of experience in the financial services industry to her role as a founding partner of Symbio Financial Partners. Before joining LPL in 1992, Shari worked for five years at Kidder, Peabody in New York City. She is an LPL Registered Principal, LPL Financial Advisor, and has completed the Certified Financial Planner Professional Education Program. Shari earned a Bachelor of Science from Kansas State University.
Krishna Kabra
President-ElectEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Krishna is the Executive Director of the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum. She recently transitioned to nonprofit work after 22 years in the corporate world, working on innovation and marketing strategies for some of the world’s biggest brands. She holds a BSc in Management Sciences from the University of Manchester (UK) and an MSC in International Politics from the University of Bristol (UK).
Tiffany Ayres
Membership ChairNONPROFIT PROFESSIONAL
Tiffany joined SDWF in 2018. She is the Director of Development for Student Support and Success at UC San Diego, with more than 10 years of experience in fundraising. Tiffany graduated from the University of Central Florida (UCF) with a BA in Political Science and minors in Business and Nonprofit Management. She previously served on the UCF Nonprofit Advisory Board and the Taiwanese American Professionals – San Diego Board.
Nadia Farjood
Governance Vice-ChairAttorney
Nadia Farjood is an attorney and a lifelong advocate for gender equity. She serves as Vice Chair on the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and as Vice Chair of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, an educational nonprofit that teaches youth compassion and forgiveness. Nadia is a graduate of Torrey Pines High School, Harvard College, and Harvard Law School. She lives in East County with her husband and their two Schnauzers.
Rosette Garcia
GEC ChairCommunity Leader
Rosette is a 30-year resident of North County San Diego, where she and her husband raised their two children. She has been an active member of the community, previously serving on the Cardiff School Board and as a volunteer and board member on several local nonprofits. She was recently appointed to the County of San Diego Independent Redistricting Commission. She supports the SDWF because of its commitment to equity and to improving the lives of historically marginalized or underserved San Diegans.
Rochelle Hershfield
GEC Vice-ChairRetired Attorney
Rochelle (“Rocky”) joined SDWF in 2016. She received her B.A. in Political Science from San Diego State University and her J.D. from California Western School of Law. She practiced law in San Diego for 35 years, spending most of her legal career in her own civil litigation practice where she collaborated with other law firms. She also clerked for the San Diego Superior Court, was an associate in a private firm, and worked for the Social Security Administration as a senior attorney advisor.
Kathleen Lennard
DIG ChairPresident & CEO of Good Work Partnership
Kathleen Lennard has been an active member of SDWF since joining in 2021 and is chair of the Discovery, Inquiry and Guidelines committee. She has held leadership and fundraising positions in several non-profits and is currently the President of Good Work Partnership, a consulting firm specializing in program evaluation, organization design and strategic planning for nonprofit organizations. Kathleen earned an Ed.D. from Vanderbilt University, a M.S. from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. from Boston College.
Shannon Pavell
Membership Vice-ChairSenior Development Officer
Shannon Pavell is a nonprofit professional with over 10 years of experience in fundraising and marketing. She joined the San Diego Women’s Foundation as a Fellow in 2016. Shannon is a Senior Development Officer at Coronado Hospital Foundation. She holds a BA in Business Administration with a minor in Nonprofit Management and International Development. She is also a member of the Coronado Optimist Club and is passionate about supporting local organizations making a difference.
Annie Rodriguez
DEI ChairExecutive Director
Annie is the Executive Director of GenerateHope and has over 25 years of nonprofit experience. She previously served as VP of Early Childhood Development at the Neighborhood House Association, and is a proud member of Rotary Club 33. She received a Master of Social Work in 2005 and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2001 from San Diego State University.
Carolyn P. Taylor
Finance Vice-ChairPresident of Weatherly Asset Management
Carolyn leads Weatherly’s ultra authentic culture of client service, lifelong learning, ethics, industry expertise, and community impact. Her B.S. and B.A. from Stanford and foundation in investment banking at Dean Witter and portfolio management at Neuberger Berman and Payden & Rygel enabled her successful launch of Weatherly in 1994, a team-based RIA providing best-in-class financial planning and investment management services to HNW and UHNW clients.
Helena Xu
Finance ChairSENIOR WEALTH STRATEGY ASSOCIATE
Helena is a Senior Wealth Strategy Associate at UBS, with 10 years of finance industry experience at Wachovia and Wells Fargo Advisors. She is a committee member of All Bar None, a UBS effort dedicated to the professional advancement of women. She holds a BS in Management Science and a BA in Communication from UCSD and studied Public Finance at The London School of Economics.
Dani Zupic
Collaboration ChairComing Soon
Members At-Large
Keshia Javis-Jones
Member At-LargeDirector of Community Partnerships
Keshia is currently the Director of Community Partnerships at Foundation for Women Warriors, leading all FFWW community partnerships and professional development education. Keshia is a 2020 alumni of LEAD San Diego, currently serves on the City of San Diego Veterans, Military, and Families Council, and is an advisor to the KPBS GI Film Festival. Keshia believes the most rewarding aspect of her work is that she can use her leadership and personal experience to advocate for the women veteran community and directly impact the success of transitioning veterans.
Thespine Kavoulakis
Member At-LargeWriter
Thespine worked in corporate communications for several years before shifting gears to freelance writing and nonprofits that focus on family and children’s issues. Before moving to San Diego and joining SDWF seven years ago, Thespine served as a board member for a local Teen Center and board secretary for The Box Project. Currently Associate of the Chancellor at UC San Diego, she has a BA in Communications from The University of Pittsburgh and an MA in Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University.
Leslie Klein
Member At-LargeFinancial Advisor
Leslie oversees the San Diego Foundation’s professional advisor outreach program and provides high-level expertise in estate and financial planning. Leslie has worked at First American Trust, First National Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of California, HomeFed Trust and Sharp Healthcare Foundation. Leslie graduated from Miami University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Hema Lall
Member At-LargeReal Estate Investor
Hema has been a member since 2016. She is also an active board member of San Diego Indian American Society (SDIAS). Hema enjoys volunteering as a reader for the Words Alive organization and is a member of Patrons of the Prado. Prior to Hema’s role for the past 30 years in all aspects of ownership and management of real estate holdings, she worked as a CPA in various public accounting firms in San Diego.
Amanda Lopez
Member At-LargeMarketing Professional
Amanda Lopez (she/her) is a nonprofit marketing professional with over a decade of experience in digital marketing, social media content strategy, and campaign management. Her past community involvement has included serving as the Marketing Co-Chair on the Board of the San Diego Emerging Museum Professionals, being a member of the Museum Council, and more. Today, Amanda utilizes what she knows to move the mission forward at The San Diego LGBT Community Center, advocating for the LGBTQ+ community in San Diego and beyond as the Communications and Marketing Manager.
Susan Perkins
Member At-LargeDevelopment Professional
Susan, affectionately known as “Perky” brings over 26 years of fundraising and leadership experience. She is active in various community organizations and currently works as Donor Engagement Manager for San Diego Habitat for Humanity. Susan received certification in Non-Profit Leadership and Fundraising from Penn State University.
Tonya Torosian
Member At-LargeCHIEF EXECUTIVE Officer
An advocate for children and youth throughout her 30 year career, Tonya is the Chief Executive Officer of Promises2Kids. Best known for building the Polinsky Children’s Center, Promises2Kids is dedicated to creating a brighter future for foster children. She has served as the President of the San Diego chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and on the board of many nonprofits. She is a certified fundraising executive and received her Masters of Social Work degree from Arizona State University.