Haas, Jr. Fund Names Cathy Cha as President
SAN FRANCISCO — The Board of Directors of the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund today announced that Cathy Cha has officially stepped into her new role as President of the Fund. Cha’s appointment is the capstone of a two-year period during which the Fund expanded its Board and bolstered its staff and senior leadership team in preparation for the next phase in its 65-year history of values-driven philanthropy.
Cha’s work is driven by a career-long commitment to equity and opportunity for families and children. She has been serving as the Fund’s Vice President of Programs for the past two years. From 2009 and 2016, she managed the Fund’s immigrant rights grantmaking. With an emphasis on collaboration, she led efforts to bring funders and local leaders together to strengthen the immigrant rights movement in California. This work has made California a model for compassionate, common-sense reform.
“Cathy is a true innovator in advancing new models for how foundations can partner with communities, advocates, and government for greater impact,” said Walter J. Haas, who chairs the Fund’s Board of Directors. “We have absolute confidence in her ability to help us write a bold new chapter in the Fund’s history of collaborative work to advance rights and create opportunities for all people.”
Cha joined the staff of the Haas, Jr. Fund in 2003 as a program officer. In previous jobs, she worked on issues including affordable housing, homelessness, and workforce development with the Hyams Foundation in Boston, the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation in San Francisco, and the United Way of King County in Seattle. Cha has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Washington in Seattle and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from UC Berkeley.
“Working at the Haas, Jr. Fund has been an incredible opportunity for me to support and witness the power of philanthropy to change lives. It’s an honor to partner with leaders and organizations that are taking bold actions to make a difference every day for families and communities,” said Cha. “I am excited to step into my new role and to help make sure we continue to work in partnership to build a society that supports, respects, and values the contributions of all people.”
About the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund seeks to fulfill its founders’ vision of a just and compassionate society where all people have the opportunity to live, work, and raise their families with dignity. The Fund’s program areas include: Immigrant Rights; Gay and Lesbian Rights; Education Equity; the Haas Leadership Initiatives; and Community Partnerships and Initiatives.