Alexis Rodriguez

I've been in the nonprofit sector for about 20 years, and it's truly been my calling. I started as a volunteer at the Alzheimer's Association in San Diego when my grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer's while I was in college. That volunteer experience turned into my first job as a coordinator there, and I fell in love with the work. I went on to get my Master's in Nonprofit Leadership and Management at the University of San Diego while working full-time, and that program really gave me the confidence and tools I needed to be a good leader. I spent almost 11 years at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where I received a Lifetime Achievement Award for the programs I started and the service I gave to the San Diego chapter. Then I moved to the Parkinson's Foundation as West Regional Director, leading an 8-state region with 16 staff members. I launched 4 boards of directors for new chapters, worked on major giving, connected with strategic partners at research institutions, and my team did boots-on-the-ground fundraising through 5K walks and provided free programs to the community. I grew that region significantly over 5 years. Now, I'm leading the advancement team at Community Housing Works, where we focus on philanthropic and fundraising efforts to provide services and programs to residents in our affordable housing communities. My passion has always been building leadership teams, engaging volunteers, and activating people to support our missions. I love connecting someone who has no connection to our mission at first, giving them opportunities to see our work in action, and watching them become true supporters.