The San Diego Women’s Foundation is excited to announce the three new board members who will help guide the critical work of the organization in the upcoming fiscal year. Jacqueline Bell, Linda Hensel and Sara Bennett officially joined the 17 powerful, professional women currently serving on the board.
“We are thrilled that Jacqueline, Linda and Sara have joined our board as we begin another exciting year of pooling resources to enhance San Diego through grant making,” said Rita Solberg, the San Diego Women’s Foundation’s Board President. “The impressive set of skills and experience each brings will undoubtedly help create our best year yet, proving again the theme in which we all believe: women can do more than woman.”
About the New Board Members:
Jacqueline Bell, La Jolla
Jaqueline is a Director and Portfolio Manager at Dowling & Yahnke, LLC, and holds the impressive designations of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®). Jacqueline’s twenty years of experience in investment management including ten years managing a global equity mutual fund for Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (now BlackRock, Inc.).Jacqueline has served for three years on the foundation’s Grants Committee. She’s also served as the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Bird Rock Community Council, and will step into the role of President next year. Jacqueline lives in La Jolla with her 12-year old daughter and 10-year old son.
Linda Hensel, La Jolla
Linda joined the foundation immediately upon moving to San Diego from Boston in 2010. Her background as a Consultant for Media, Public Relations and Events has led to such meaningful roles as consultant for President Jimmy Carter at the Carter Center in Atlanta. Her next role is as media advisor on a four-day costume design conference in Florence Italy. Her public relations projects include work with NOVA, the PBS science series, Boston Museum of Science, and Harvard University. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Linda also has her ESL certification. She has served on the foundation’s Grants and Membership Committees and has also enjoyed spending time as a volunteer in the classrooms of her two daughters.
Sara Bennett, San Diego
Sara’s personal and professional career spans a variety of passions. A Commercial Insurance Broker at Barney & Barney, she often speaks to California trade and industry groups on the hot button issue of workers’ compensation insurance. Her work to start a sexual assault advocacy group while earning her Political Science degree at USD has also led her to speak on this very different topic at USD, SDSU and UCSD. Since 2009, Sara’s work with the San Diego Women’s Foundation has included actively serving on the Grants and Membership committees. She also serves as Chair of Barney & Barney’s GROW Initiative (Growth in Relationships and Opportunities for Women), where she offers support to such organizations as the California Hospital Association and ElderHelp of San Diego. In her “free” time, you might see Sara and her husband Todd riding their beach cruisers around Mission Bay or taking their dog, Penny, for a run at Fiesta Island.
For media purposes we are happy to arrange an interview with one or more of our new board members, as well as with a San Diego Women’s Foundation representative. Please contact Vince Heald at vheald@behmedia.com or 858-453-9600 with media inquiries.
About the San Diego Women’s Foundation
Founded in 2000, the San Diego Women’s Foundation has grown to an organization of more than 200 members dedicated to pooling their resources and enhancing the community through grant making. As of June 1, 2012, more than $2.3 million has been awarded to 63 community partners for their efforts to initiate or improve existing programs. Each grant, usually $25,000 or greater, targets one of six focus areas: health and human services, civil society, economic and employment development, education, arts and culture, and the environment. For more information visit: www.sdwomensfoundation.org.
