Life Science Cares San Diego Appoints Alicia Quinn Kitagawa as Executive Director to Drive the Organization’s Next Phase of Growth
July 15 2024 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
Mark Sanchez, Ed.D., to join organization’s
Board of Managers
Life Science Cares (LSC) San Diego, a nonprofit organization
activating the financial and human capital of the life sciences
industry and partnering with local nonprofits to disrupt the cycle
of poverty and inequity throughout its communities, today announced
that it has appointed Alicia Quinn Kitagawa to the position of
Executive Director. She is succeeding outgoing Executive Director
Leane Marchese.
“Since its founding in 2020, Life Science Cares San Diego has
created an important bridge connecting the life sciences community
with 23 carefully selected local nonprofit organizations, providing
over $2.3 million in funding, over 14,000 hours of volunteer
service, and 55 paid internships for under-resourced and
underrepresented college students, as we serve the community’s
access to education, basic needs, and economic opportunity. We are
grateful to our founding Executive Director Leane Marchese for
delivering the first phase of the organization’s development,” said
Thomas Daniel, Chair and Founding Board Member of LSC San Diego.
“We are now poised to scale the organization for greater impact.
Alicia’s experience as a strategist, developer, implementer, and
educator of social entrepreneurial programs at the interface
between corporate entities and nonprofit organizations positions
LSC San Diego well for the next phase of community impact.”
Alicia brings more than 20 years of experience in both the
nonprofit and private sectors. Most recently, she served as Vice
President of Strategy and Engagement of the United Way San Diego
County for over five years. Previously, she served as Director of
Programs for Mission Edge, where, among other duties, she designed
and implemented a corporate social responsibility program for
Qualcomm to engage employees in skills-based volunteering in the
nonprofit sector. Earlier in her career, Alicia served as Director
of Programs for Accion U.S. Network and Director of Programs for
San Diego Social Venture Partners. Alicia started her career as an
analyst at JPMorgan Chase. She holds a B.S. in business
administration from Georgetown University and an M.S. in social
work and social enterprise administration from Columbia University.
She also currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the Barrio
Logan College Institute and as a member of the Board of San Diego
Social Venture Partners which helps philanthropists realize greater
social impact through their collaborative investments in, and pro
bono consulting with, local nonprofits.
“In just a few years since its establishment in San Diego, Life
Science Cares has achieved remarkable success in positively
impacting individuals facing poverty, a cause that deeply resonates
with me,” said Ms. Quinn Kitagawa. “I’m eager to capitalize on my
experience building deep and meaningful partnerships for social
impact and collaborate with the Life Science Cares community.
Together, we will further accelerate LSC San Diego’s growth and
fuel transformative impact in San Diego.”
Amplifying the organization’s awareness and connection to the
local educational community, LSC San Diego has appointed Mark
Sanchez, Ed.D., President and Superintendent of Southwestern
College, to its Board of Managers. Dr. Sanchez has served for over
24 years in community college leadership, teaching, and workforce
development. He has developed and implemented comprehensive race
conscious-equity focused instruction, student services and online
programs designed to increase student access and success, student
outreach and student personal development. He holds a B.A. in
sociology from the Point Loma Nazarene University and M.A. and
Ed.D. degrees from California State University, Fresno.
“Mark’s impact on San Diego’s educational environment during his
tenure at Southwestern has been insightful, integrative, and highly
impactful. We are delighted to have his contribution to our
commitment to creating educational opportunities of high strategic
impact in San Diego,” said Dr. Daniel.
About Life Science Cares
Life Science Cares (LSC) activates the financial and human
capital of the life sciences industry and partners with nonprofits
to disrupt the cycle of poverty and inequality in our communities.
Now operating in five US life science hubs (Boston, Philadelphia,
San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, and New York), LSC has
invested $16 million and tens of thousands of volunteer hours in
community organizations providing access to basic needs, access to
education or access to opportunity. Life Science Cares Switzerland,
the first international LSC effort, launched in April 2024. Learn
more at https://lifesciencecares.org.
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Carolyn Hawley carolyn.hawley@inizioevoke.com 619-849-5382