Leading a World of Social Change through Philanthropy – Megan Thomas from Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties On the 39th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Megan Thomas, president & CEO of Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties. Megan has a passion for helping people and she joined Catalyst because it sits at the intersection of philanthropy and social good. Catalyst is a network of a couple hundred funders and grant makers with a mission to help educate, lead and invest in environmental issues, food security, border issues and more, to promote social change. One of Catalyst's focuses is in border work as the community they serve in San Diego and Imperial County has a strong border identity. They work with many grassroots organizations who are the first point of contact for many immigrants entering the United States or who reside in Tijuana. There has been attention to border issues on the philanthropy side during Trump’s family separations and the current arrival of asylum seekers. Catalyst continues to do great work and hopes to continue building an equitable, impactful, and effective social change ecosystem. As CEO, Megan provides strategic leadership and partnership to the entire Catalyst staff, board, members, and community partners. She oversees Catalyst’s 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 Catalyst’s work related to championing equity and opportunity. She strengthens Imperial and San Diego County communities through shared learning and pooled and aligned funding strategies, and initiatives fiscally sponsored by Catalyst. LISTEN NOW   Angeline Chen (213) 417-5169 [email protected] Megan Thomas  CEO, Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties "Storytelling is important and very few people are picking up a book about statistics. Instead, they are going to pick up the book that has beautiful photographs and so that's how Catalyst invites people in. In that story, there are some hard truths to tell, and some of the truths are that the funders in San Diego and in California have contributed millions of dollars to support folks and the nonprofits that are assisting immigrants in the absence of Federal Government and public agencies help. The level of funding from the Federal Government and other public agencies has not met the need so it’s been local philanthropy in California and San Diego and the Imperial Counties that has tried to fill that gap and that is just not sustainable."  – Megan Thomas You can follow Catalyst via their website, Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube. If you want to become a member, sign up here or consider donating. Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes. This publication is intended for general education and informational purposes only, and should not be regarded as either legal advice or a legal opinion. You should not act upon or use this publication or any of its contents for any specific situation. Recipients are cautioned to obtain legal advice from their legal counsel with respect to any decision or course of action contemplated in a specific situation. Clark Hill PLC and its attorneys provide legal advice only after establishing an attorney-client relationship through a written attorney-client engagement agreement. This publication does not establish an attorney-client relationship with any recipient.   Clark Hill PLC | 500 Woodward Ave, Suite 3500, Detroit, MI 48226 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!