A new, well-funded and ultra-connected non-profit called San Diego Seniors Community Foundation entered the local arena with a splashy new “senior center assessment,” finding “San Diego’s senior population is rising, but the community is not ready for change.”
The 11-page report got a lot of play in the media following its Aug. 20 release, and why not. Bob Kelly, former president and CEO of The San Diego Foundation, is the group’s founder. For those perhaps unfamiliar, The San Diego Foundation is the biggest player in the competitive local charity market. This group handles mega-dollar grants and the creme de la creme of well-heeled philanthropy funds.
Prior to joining The San Diego Foundation, Kelly served as executive director of the American Cancer Society San Diego and vice president for Southern California. He also previously served as assistant to the president and senior vice president of Sharp HealthCare and chief operating officer for Sharp HealthCare Foundation. He also was senior vice president for CCP and Associates, a comprehensive cancer center consulting firm.
“Bob’s commitment to his community is clearly reflected in his many volunteer roles and services activities, including time spent as a board member of the San Diego Symphony Foundation, the San Diego Real Estate Foundation, Beauchamp Charities, the Children’s Initiative, and Hubbs Seaworld Research Institute,” he says on his new San Diego Seniors Community Foundation web site.
“He is a past president of the UCSD Alumni Association and a former chair of the Sharp HealthCare board, League of California Community Foundations, Youth for Progress, and San Diego Grantmakers. Bob has also served on the boards of the San Diego Chamber Foundation, the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, the Elsinore Cattle Co., the International Community Foundation, and the De Anza Country Club. He is a member of the Downtown Rotary and a graduate of UC San Diego.