22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 12-18, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com in this county, and also worked on programs helping the poorest. What have you learned across all of that? It’s a real part of the joy of the job. When you can find the common ground with people, work with those whose politics don’t align with mine, we find there’s something that they want to support. We don’t have to agree on all of the mechanisms of how government works, or how society ought to operate, but we can certainly find the common ground on things that are important. When your retirement was announced, you told our reporter at Monterey County Weekly that you’re “very self conscious being described as a community leader.” What did you mean? I don’t describe myself as a leader. What I mean is, I like to have a vision, and I like to bring ideas to the table. Oftentimes, it’s a table that I’ve created, and there’s no question that my position gives me a certain amount of leverage to affect things that not everybody can. It’s a privilege, not everybody gets that opportunity. Sometimes you have to rally people around [an idea], and it fits some definition of leadership. I’m describing myself as somebody who just tries to get stuff done, to show a little more humility, and think more about what it is we’re trying to accomplish together, rather than glorify ourselves. You can lead, but you don’t have to be out front all the time. Really, what leadership is about is allowing other people to succeed. I recoil when I get described as a leader—none of us do anything on our own. I think a lot about encouraging others to think and be creative and be the best, bring out the best that they can. If [we] do that collectively, within a shared goal, we’re able to accomplish big things. What is your definition of generosity? Always be ready to help others, because you’re going to be in that situation sometimes, whether it’s because of your age, some infirmity, something to do with your financial situation, whatever it might be. You’re going to want others’ help at the right time. I’ve gotten to the point now where I’m not judgmental [about] people who don’t give. I just realize it’s just not in their DNA. Sometimes something happens in their life that compels them, they think that they’re impervious to stuff, and whether it’s a disease in your family or mental health, and then they realize that there are all these [services] that are created by philanthropy, and then they may want to participate. But I just don’t lose sleep over the people that don’t give, and I spend my time encouraging those that want to. Andrew Carnegie is a very controversial historical figure because he became rich on the backs of the steelworkers, many of whom worked 24-hour shifts once a week. And, he was wildly generous, opening more than 1,000 public libraries. One of his famous sayings was that people should die poor. Do you have a philosophy about giving? I grew up a half a block from a Carnegie library in Manchester, Iowa. The answer is, what’s right is what’s right to you. All family dynamics are different. People have different motivations. What advice would you give someone in their 20s, who’s starting a career today? I get asked, how did I get this job, how did I end up being the CEO of a Community Foundation? My answer is that it’s just a byproduct of curiosity. And so my advice: Everybody’s geared to be able to do this, but you don’t have to find some cookie-cutter approach to how your life and your career is going to manifest or grow. When something’s interesting to you, you’ll know. The main thing is just stay curious, and let that curiosity guide you—on a journey that’s going to be very gratifying. Congratulations on your upcoming retirement, after 50-plus years in the work world. What do you think you’ll miss the most about going to work every day? As CEO of the Community Foundation, we let people know what we do, and then hope that it aligns with what their interests are, what’s going on in their life. We have things come up that are very, very interesting. We just sold two manufactured home communities, mobile home parks, in the state of Washington, as part of a gift. I’m going miss stuff like that. I’m going to miss the next complicated thing that I have never encountered. I mean, what did I know about mobile home parks, right? I didn’t know anything. And now, believe me, I know a lot about them. It’s taking those opportunities, those complex assets, those complex situations, and working through them—and then seeing that get converted to philanthropic assets, then seeing those philanthropic assets go to work. That’s what I’m going to miss. Is there some aspect of your work you’re not going to miss? I don’t mean to overstate it, but the weight of that responsibility. Plus it’s just the grind. I’ve been a CEO of either a museum or a community foundation since 1992. I calculated once the number of board meetings or executive committee meetings that I’ve attended; it’s something like 400. Every one of them required an agenda, and it required a packet, and it required working in advance with the board chair. There’s a certain grind to that. It’s necessary, it’s part of the job, and that’s how organizations function really well. I’m just kind of exhausted a little bit. I hope I’ll always maintain curiosity. I just want to stay curious. Thank you for the partnership of Monterey County Gives! The 2026 campaign kicks off Nov. 12. On the day that you step away from your desk we’ll have surpassed $100 million raised and donated for the community—a remarkable milestone. It’s been a tremendous run, and I think we both agree that it’s exceeded both our expectations. We created a platform and people took advantage of it, and I think that’s fantastic, and it’s just going to continue on. “You can lead, but you don’t have to be out front all the time.” The top graph above shows the growth in grantmaking by the Community Foundation for Monterey County since 2015. The green bar at right shows 2026 grantmaking as of Oct. 31. The pie chart below shows the breakdown for subject areas of grants made in 2025, with most going to human services. COURTESY CFMC COURTESY CFMC AND TMD CREATIVE
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