Staff

Amy Denhart is the Director of Funders Together to End Homelessness San Diego (FTEHSD) at San Diego Grantmakers, where she supports FTEHSD’s strategic grantmaking and advocacy in systems change and permanent housing opportunities to reduce homelessness.

For the past 22 years, Amy held positions in fundraising, public policy, and community engagement. During more than a decade as Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood, she worked with donors and the Board of Directors to advance public policy in support of reproductive health care. Prior to that, she was Area Director for US Senator Barbara Boxer, serving as the Senator’s liaison to the San Diego community, connecting constituents to the Senate and other government bodies. Just prior to joining FTEHSD, Amy worked closely with the City of San Diego and County governments as the lead finance and contract management staff for a local community engagement and design firm. She has served on the City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation committee and is currently a board member on the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.

Robert Foster leads San Diego Grantmakers’ Impact Investing work. His past experience includes serving as the COO of ZipCap, a San Diego-based impact fintech company and as the Executive Director of Accelerating Market-driven Partnerships (AMP), an international impact investing initiative launched by Secretary Hillary Clinton and executed in collaboration with the U.S. Secretary of State, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Aspen Institute, and Fortune 100 companies. His past work has also included the development of social purpose investment vehicles with private investment firms, the creation of global market and policy strategies with foundations, and the implementation of market-based poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation initiatives in the developing world.

Robert is a former Women Effects Investments Fellow at the Criterion Institute, an adjunct faculty member of the University of San Diego School of Business, and has served as a Board Chair of the Social Venture Network. Robert currently serves on the board of KIT — a national nonprofit dedicated to inclusion — and the Kroc School of Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego. He holds an MSc from Oxford University. Robert lives in San Diego with his wife, Dr. Nadia Foster, and his two children.

Katie spearheads communications and content strategy as well as learning and evaluation efforts at SDG. She works across issue areas to bring the stories of SDG's work to life for our members, our partners, and our community. 

Katie brings more than a decade of philanthropy and communications experience to SDG. She formerly served as Director, Communications & Knowledge Insights at the Council of Michigan Foundations and has held corporate philanthropy roles at the T-Mobile Foundation and Medtronic Foundation. In addition, Katie has served as a consultant to the foundation community on both corporate philanthropy and communications. Her career began in experiential marketing, where she led national event strategy across several publishers for Borders Group Inc. 

Janowiak has a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a Certificate in Public Relations from Michigan State University. When not at work she can be found attempting to keep up with her husband, two kids and two dogs.

Melissa provides indispensable administrative and operational support for all aspects of San Diego Grantmakers' work areas, including event logistics, member communication, meeting scheduling, meeting support, and other office activities. She brings significant office and customer service experience, is bilingual, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Redlands.

Debbie McKeon is San Diego Grantmakers’ chief visionary, spokesperson, and external relations builder. Guided by SDG’s mission, vision, values, key work areas, and goals for organizational excellence as described in the 2020 Strategic Framework, she leads a dynamic team of professionals to contribute to positive community change in San Diego and Imperial Counties through leadership, innovation, and collaboration.

Debbie brings a deep commitment to equity, cross-sector partnerships, and catalytic capital to further SDG’s vision of an equitable, collaborative, and impactful social change ecosystem that improves the lives of all residents in our region. With a track record of inspiring successful initiatives, innovative philanthropy, impact investing field-building, and systems-level change, she is leading SDG into its next chapter of greatness. A seasoned senior executive, she most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) where she led design and implementation of the strategic framework, suite of services, and embedded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts. Prior to joining CMF, Debbie’s extensive experience in leadership and public-private partnerships included design and development of the NorthSky Nonprofit Network, a capacity building organization for over 1800 nonprofits; serving as Co-founding Board Member, Managing Director, and CEO of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas; and Assistant Manager of the New York Philharmonic. A global citizen and civic leader, she has worked in more than 40 countries across six continents. Now that she calls San Diego home, Debbie will focus on lifting the voice of the philanthropy sector in both San Diego and Imperial Counties through cross-sector partnerships such as the Social Equity Collaborative Fund and Philanthropy California and initiatives such as Census 2020.  On a personal note, she is a classical music enthusiast and accomplished musician in her own right.

Carlos contributes 10 years of experience within San Diego’s nonprofit sector, with agencies such as The San Diego LGBT Community Center, Father Joe’s Villages, and Mama’s Kitchen. He has held positions in grant writing, communications, and community engagement, and he currently serves on the board of directors of the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, as well as the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego County. Carlos earned a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Rhetoric and Writing Studies, from San Diego State University, and in 2019, he became a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). Carlos has a strong value for health and wellness and in his spare time, he enjoys practicing and teaching yoga.

Ashley Miller spearheads execution of SDG’s comprehensive fundraising plans, supports evaluation and impact work, and ensures the sustainability of resources and relationships. She is also a key partner with Philanthropy California for state-wide resourcing needs. She brings to the role eight years of experience in advancement, finance, communications, strategy, and policy research in non-profits, government, and higher education. 

Ashley comes to San Diego by way of Seattle where she served most recently as a grants manager at the University of Washington. Prior to that, she spent six years at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. where her portfolio included governance, democracy, human rights, security, and U.S.-Cuba relations. At the State Department under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Ashley supported social policy toward vulnerable groups in the Western Hemisphere, specifically the LGBT community, women, and youth.  She served in the 2015-2016 cohort of Penn Kemble Fellows with the National Endowment of Democracy and was a 2014-2015 Future Global Leader with the former Foreign Policy Initiative. Her research and analysis has been published by Columbia University Press, the Brookings Institution, Salon, and the Huffington Post. Ashley holds an M.A in International Affairs from American University and a B.A in International Studies and Spanish from Seattle University.

Melissa Padilla supports all funder collaborative groups including Funders Together to End Homelessness and impact investing network programs. She provides essential logistical and administrative support to assist the SDG Team and all its members. Melissa brings significant community outreach, legislative research, government, and advocacy experience to this role, having recently served as the Deputy Finance Director for a local candidate for the County Board of Supervisors.

Melissa graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a focus on women’s and gender issues. She currently serves as the Legislative Research Coordinator for the Women’s Equity Council at the United Nations Association – San Diego and manages all social media for Allies for Women, a non-profit dedicated to elevating the voices of women.  

Justin oversees San Diego Grantmakers' general operations, membership services, day-to-day finances, and grants administration.

Before joining SDG, Justin discovered the wide and wonderful world of philanthropy by working for the Open Society Institute–Baltimore as a Program Associate for the Criminal and Juvenile Justice and the Education and Youth Development programs.

He holds a degree in Central and East European studies from the University of Colorado and an MA in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego.

Megan oversees San Diego Grantmakers’ facilitation of collaborative efforts among its funder members and other stakeholders; leads the production of philanthropy and impact investing skills-building and issue based learning; and spearheads SDG’s work related to championing equity and opportunity. She provides strategic and logistical support to strengthen San Diego communities through shared learning and pooled and aligned funding strategies. Current focus areas include early education, STEAM education, immigration, homelessness, military/veterans issues, leadership development, racial justice, and impact investing, as well as support for the steering committees of pooled grant funds, including that of Women Give San Diego, which is fiscally sponsored by SDG.

Megan brings 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic fields to this role, having most recently served as Executive Director of San Diego Coastkeeper where she built partnerships among the nonprofit, business, and public sectors to advance environmental goals across San Diego County. Megan received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University and her Masters in Business Administration from Yale School of Management. She serves on the long-term vision advisory committee for Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees and previously served on the board of directors of Hope Horse Ranch, United Way of San Diego County; advisory council for The San Diego Foundation’s Center for Civic Engagement; and the Port of San Diego Environmental Advisory Committee.