Brenda Solórzano

Centering community and building trusting relationships to advance health equity is what Brenda Solórzano stands for and works towards every day. She is a change-maker and philanthropic leader who centers the power of community in her work.

“I believe that when philanthropy listens, learns, and trusts the community to take the lead of informing strategy and approach, only then are we, as philanthropists, best situated to support and understand the change necessary to create healthy and thriving communities,” said Solórzano.

As the recently appointed President/CEO of The California Endowment, Brenda Solórzano is not new to the foundation. She began her career in philanthropy years ago at The Endowment as a program manager. Brenda attributes that time to her steadfast commitment to having the community lead and philanthropy listen and learn intently to better develop strategy and funding policies. It is the mission on which she says her philanthropic work is based.

“The California Endowment is where I learned the value of centering community in philanthropic work, and it is something I have carried throughout my career,” said Solórzano. “The Endowment mission and vision are in my blood, and I am honored to partner with staff, grantees, and community to lead this organization into the future.”

Solórzano comes to the Endowment from the Headwaters Foundation in Montana, where she was the founding CEO. During her tenure at Headwaters, Solórzano worked from the ground up to build an institution for the community, by the community. Leading with a lens of health equity and trust-based philanthropy, she reimagined and reinvented philanthropic practices, changed systems and policies to advance better health outcomes, and built a network of trusted partnerships across the state.

She has spent her career working for good in the philanthropic world on issues related to health policy, the healthcare safety net and community health issues affecting vulnerable populations.

In her career, Solórzano has also held positions at the Blue Shield of California Foundation and the California Healthcare Foundation.

She is a nationally recognized leader in Trust-Based philanthropy, a values-driven approach that advances equity, shifts power, and builds mutually accountable relationships with grantee partners.

She will take over the reins at The California Endowment in early September 2024.

Solórzano has a bachelor’s degree in history, a minor in political science from the University of San Francisco, and a Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School in Southern California. She is married to Randall Caudle and has two children, Ali and Kian.

You can email Brenda Solórzano here to send congratulatory messages.
You can read the full press release on Solórzano’s appointment here.
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