Dr. Cynthia A. Telles Named Chair of the California Community Foundation Board of Directors

LOS ANGELES – January 9, 2013 – California Community Foundation (CCF), the first foundation created to foster charitable giving in Los Angeles, announced that UCLA School of Medicine clinic director Dr. Cynthia A. Telles has been named chair of the board of directors.

Dr. Telles assumed the role of chair effective January 1, 2013, replacing Sheldon M. Stone, a founding member and principal of Oaktree Capital Management LLC.  She has chaired various committees since joining the CCF board in 2004.  Mr. Stone continues to serve on the executive and investment committees of the CCF board.

“I consider it a great privilege to be of service to the community, and I am deeply honored to lead this venerable organization, which has served Los Angeles for almost 100 years,” said Dr. Telles.  “CCF has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, becoming a visible catalyst for positive social change and a leader in strengthening communities through effective philanthropy and civic engagement.”

Dr. Telles is director of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute Spanish Speaking Psychosocial Clinic at the David Geffen School of Medicine.  Her extensive experience in philanthropy includes serving as past Board Chair of The California Endowment, the largest health foundation in California, and currently serving as the chair of the Community Benefit Committee of the Board of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Inc. (Kaiser Permanente).  Her dedication to public service includes serving on the National Advisory Council on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services under the Clinton Administration, and on the Mental Health Task Force of the Carter Center in Atlanta.  In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed her to The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.  Dr. Telles also served as a Commissioner of the City of Los Angeles for 13 years as President of the Women’s Commission, Vice President of the Ethics Commission and Vice President of the Library Commission. Telles currently serves on the Board of Directors of General Motors Co.

“Cynthia is a highly regarded professional in public health care at the national and local levels and a dedicated public servant through and through,” said Antonia Hernández, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation.  “We are truly lucky to have her experience, knowledge, commitment and personality to lead us at this time in the foundation’s history.”

California Community Foundation (CCF) is a public, charitable organization serving Los Angeles County in multiple capacities since 1915.  It encourages philanthropy by individuals, families, companies and organizations, and serves as a steward of their charitable funds and legacies.  It makes grants to and builds the capacity of nonprofits in the arts, education, health care, housing and neighborhoods, human development, and civic engagement.  It actively engages in community problem solving with local, regional and national partners in the private, public and nonprofit sectors.  For more information, visit calfund.org.

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