Stop & Talk

Dr. Novien Yarber is the Senior Learning Officer at Prebys Foundation, where he helps the foundation listen, reflect, and learn from its work with community partners. Known around the office as “Dr. Novi,” he brings a rare combination of rigor, warmth, and curiosity to the practice of evaluation. Before joining Prebys, Novi served as Director of Leadership, Philanthropy, and Social Impact at the University of San Diego&...

Dana Toppel is CEO of Jewish Family Service of San Diego, one of the region’s most established human services organizations. Founded more than 100 years ago, JFS continues to be rooted in Jewish values while serving people across San Diego County, including older adults, immigrants, families, Holocaust survivors, and neighbors facing housing, food, and other basic needs. Dana has held multiple leadership roles at JFS since 20...

Editor’s Note: This episode was recorded in April 2026, before the City of San Diego released its initial FY27 budget proposal. That proposal has since raised urgent questions about the future of public arts funding in San Diego, making this conversation with Erin Harkey especially timely. 

Erin Harkey is the President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing arts ...

Editor’s Note: This episode was recorded in March 2026, before the City of San Diego released its initial FY27 budget proposal. That proposal has since raised urgent questions about the future of public arts funding in San Diego, making Jonathon and Grant’s conversation about arts, culture, and downtown’s future especially timely. 

Jonathon Glus is the Prebys Senior Art & Design Fellow in Residence at the ...

Norma Chávez-Peterson is a longtime organizer and civil rights leader who serves as Executive Director of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, one of the region’s leading voices on civil liberties and immigrant rights. Born in Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in San Diego, she brings lived experience and deep community roots to her work in the border region, where local realities often reflect broader national debates ...

Jay Buys is the founder and CEO of Visceral, a B Corp-certified creative agency that builds brands and websites exclusively for social change organizations. Working with nonprofits, foundations, and other mission-driven partners, Jay has helped shape a business model that puts people, profit, and planet in conversation rather than opposition. In San Diego and beyond, he is part of a growing movement challenging the idea that busine...

Laura Castañeda is a veteran journalist, educator, and community voice who has spent decades helping San Diego understand itself. Known for her work in television and print, including at the San Diego Union-Tribune, she has been a mentor to generations of reporters and a champion for more inclusive, community-centered journalism. As a leader in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Laura brings a binational perspect...

Gil Alvarado is the Chief Financial and Investment Officer (CFIO) of the Prebys Foundation, where he helps steward a $1.2 billion portfolio with an eye toward both strong returns and strong community benefit. A national thought partner in mission-aligned investing, Gil brings an entrepreneurial mindset to philanthropy—designing funds, partnerships, and investment strategies that help fuel innovation, expand opportunity, and s...

Walking Shield has spent nearly four decades improving quality of life for Native communities across the United States—bridging sovereign tribal nations with philanthropy, federal agencies, and the U.S. military.  Alongside the Walking Shield team, Executive Director, Dr. John Castillo, and Senior Fellow, Mariano Diaz help tribes build the capacity needed to secure federal funding, strengthen infrastructure, and advance ...

Brandon Steppe left a corporate career to start a recording studio in his garage—never imagining that a few persistent neighborhood kids would change his life. Those early studio sessions grew into the David’s Harp Foundation, a nonprofit where justice-involved and opportunity youth in San Diego discover their voices and chart a path forward through music, media, and mentorship. 

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Richard Tate is the President and CEO of the California Wellness Foundation, where he leads with clarity, courage, and hope. A communications strategist turned first-time CEO, Richard embraces the power of philanthropy not just to fund change, but to stand up for values. Under his leadership, Cal Wellness has become a bold voice for health and racial justice at a time when those commitments are under attack.

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Scott Lewis is CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Voice of San Diego, the pioneering nonprofit newsroom he helped build nearly two decades ago. What began as an experiment in funding professional journalism outside of the old newspaper model is now a national template, proving that communities can sustain independent, fact-driven reporting. Scott is known for his candid, conversational style and his conviction that journalism is about crea...

Claudia Rodriguez-Biezunski is the founder of Sew Loka, a community-driven textile art studio in San Diego’s Barrio Logan. A self-taught artist and entrepreneur, Claudia transforms reclaimed fabrics into vibrant, one-of-a-kind pieces that weave together personal history, cultural identity, and environmental consciousness. From collaborating with pro sports teams like the San Diego Wave and San Diego FC to teaching teens how t...

Afira Arrastia-DeVries is the President and CEO of the Monarch School Project, the only K–12 public institution in the U.S. solely dedicated to educating unhoused students. A 2025 Prebys Leadership Awardee, Afira brings a powerful combination of heart, strategy, and passion to her work. As a sociologist, advocate, and leader, she’s reshaping education around support, community, and the radical act of seeing children not...

Peter Ellsworth is a longtime San Diegan, civic leader, and founding force in modernphilanthropy. From his early days in law and healthcare to his visionary role at the helm of the Legler Benbough Foundation, Peter has lived a life steeped in service, humility, and quiet transformation. A member of the Prebys Foundation Board, he remains a guiding voice for how philanthropy can—and must—listen first. 

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Mark Cafferty is the President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), where he leads with a mix of realism, resolve, and heart. In this conversation, he shares his experiences of how his values—shaped family, mentorship, and a belief in equity— continue to guide his leadership today. Under Mark’s direction, EDC has taken a bold stance: inclusive growth isn’t just good polic...

Molly Puryear is the Executive Director of Malashock Dance and a lifelong believer in the healing, connective power of movement. With infectious joy and deep conviction, she champions dance not just as an art form but as a way to be more fully human. Under her leadership, Malashock is expanding the definition of what dance can do for the community. This is demonstrated through SD NeuroDance, a pioneering program blending movement, ...

Katelyn Woodside is the Executive Director of the VAPA Foundation, a nonprofit bringing transformative arts education into San Diego’s public schools. A classically trained violinist, longtime educator, and nonprofit leader, Katelyn is advancing a bold vision: healing through expressive arts. Her organization’s award-winning proposal will train teaching artists in expressive arts therapy and place them in 25 schools acr...

Pradeep Khosla is the chancellor of UC San Diego and a nationally recognized voice on the evolving role of public research universities. Under his leadership, UC San Diego has doubled in size, broadened its access, and transformed from a "diamond in the rough" into a globally respected powerhouse for innovation, education, and the arts. He spearheaded the expansion of student housing—growing UC San Diego’s housing progr...