Celina Santiago serves as Chief Philanthropy Officer at California Community Foundation, where she leads the organization’s cultural and operational transformation to strengthen traditional philanthropic services while advancing the Foundation’s 10-year strategic framework. In this role, she oversees resource development, donor relations management, and dual pipeline strategies that leverage relationships with financial advisors and mission-aligned donors while spearheading outcome-driven fundraising initiatives designed to address Los Angeles County’s most pressing challenges.
Santiago brings nearly two decades of distinguished experience in nonprofit advancement and strategic partnerships across multiple high-impact organizations. As the Chief Mission Advancement Officer at the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, she provided visionary executive level leadership for 28 branches, 3 camps, and 190 program sites, achieving unprecedented fundraising results while spearheading the external rollout of the “Center for Community Well-being” strategic framework. Her dual leadership of Mission Advancement and Marketing & Communications enabled integrated storytelling that amplified fundraising success while strengthening organizational capacity. Her previous leadership roles include Chief Development & Partnerships Officer at CASA/LA supporting child welfare advocacy, and an earlier tenure at CCF as a Senior Donor Relations Officer, where she managed extensive high-net-worth client portfolios and served as strategic point person for complex initiatives at the intersection of philanthropy and policy.
Santiago holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Whittier College and serves as a Board Member for LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Her bilingual communication skills, deep understanding of Southern California’s philanthropic landscape, and proven track record in building lasting stakeholder relationships position her to effectively mobilize diverse partners around shared community impact goals.