Kafi D. Blumenfield To Step Down as President and CEO of Liberty Hill Foundation

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May 23, 2013, 12:11 ET

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Kafi D. Blumenfield has informed Liberty Hill Foundation's Board of Directors of her intention to step down as President and CEO. Kafi's departure date has not been finalized but is expected to occur no later than the first of the year. Kafi notified the Board months in advance to provide it sufficient time to implement a carefully managed executive transition plan.

Liberty Hill's Board of Directors has been developing plans for the executive transition with Kafi's participation. Both are committed to a thoughtful transition, one that enables the organization to continue to grow and develop key initiatives, while Board and staff review the organization's current goals and resources and bring new leadership into place with the particular strengths needed to move Liberty Hill powerfully into the future. A decision about the new President and CEO is expected within the next month.

Prudent management, democratic values and forward-thinking programming have helped to make Liberty Hill a national leader in social justice philanthropy for nearly 40 years. As new trends in the nonprofit sphere unfold, Liberty Hill is positioned to exercise even greater influence and impact in the future.

Kafi began her service to Liberty Hill as a volunteer member of the Foundation's Community Funding Board in 2000 and has worked in different capacities over the last nine years including as President and CEO. Kafi has demonstrated outstanding leadership in her time at the helm of Liberty Hill. Her achievements include strengthening the strategic focus of Liberty Hill's grantmaking, launching the highly regarded Wally Marks Leadership Institute for Change, and establishing several initiatives to diversify Liberty Hill's donor base and bring new communities into philanthropy and social justice.

In addition to her service at Liberty Hill, Kafi serves on numerous boards and commissions including the California Commission on the Status of Women, the board of Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project in Los Angeles, the advisory board of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Office of Strategic Partnerships and Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation Advisory Board. Kafi is also a member of the selection committee for the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards and is the Vice Chair of the Southern California Grantmakers Board of Directors.

"Liberty Hill has been blessed with a history of wonderful executives, each of whom has brought unique skills to the organization at key stages of its development, helped position it to adapt and grow with the changing times, and then continued to play instrumental roles in its work after moving on to new adventures. Kafi brought with her a vision for inclusive, accountable, and impactful community-centered philanthropy and continued Liberty Hill's great tradition of cause-first leadership," said Jane Peebles, Liberty Hill's Board chair.

She added, "The entire Board joins me in expressing our appreciation of Kafi's strong leadership, hard work, thoughtfulness and dedication, and we wish her well in her future endeavors. It has been a great pleasure to serve with her."

SOURCE Liberty Hill Foundation