Federation Welcomes Lisa Kalal as Director of Women's Philanthropy

The Jewish Federation of San Diego County is pleased to announce that Lisa Kalal has joined the Federation staff as Director of Women’s Philanthropy. Lisa will lead the Women’s Philanthropy of Federation and Shalom San Diego, an initiative aimed towards connecting new residents and those who are unengaged to the San Diego Jewish community.

She will work closely with the CEO, Board of Directors, partners, and Federation staff to implement mission-driven initiatives in two strategic areas: enriching Jewish identity for women and girls locally, nationally, and internationally, and building a strong, vibrant, diverse, and all-inclusive San Diego Jewish community. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Lisa to Federation,” said Michael Sonduck, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County. “After an extended search to fill this position, we are excited to have found someone with Lisa’s background, experience, reputation, and energy- we look forward to working with her to further grow and engage the San Diego Jewish community.”

Lisa has an exceptional background in non-profit development, fundraising, community outreach, volunteer management, and has a remarkable track record of philanthropic leadership. Lisa comes to Federation from the San Diego Opera, where she served for almost 20 years as Director of Development of Major Sponsorships and as Director of Institutional Giving. In addition to her passion for the arts and community enrichment, Lisa is dedicated to Judaism and Jewish community. 

For more than ten years, Lisa has been an integral part of the local San Diego community, serving as a volunteer, active congregant, and involved parent at Congregation Beth Israel. Lisa resides in Tierrasanta with her husband and three children, who are actively involved in Jewish youth and teen programs throughout San Diego. Her children’s strong sense of Jewish identity and their deep rooted connection to Judaism, which Lisa credits to religious school at Congregation Beth Israel, Jewish youth group involvement, and Jewish sleepaway camp at Camp Mountain Chai, makes her extraordinarily proud. When Lisa isn’t working to enrich the lives of others, she can be found studying science, enjoying opera, classical music, and theatre.

“As a Jewish mother, there is nothing more fulfilling than to watch your children grow up with Jewish pride, especially for me, as I didn’t have such opportunities for Jewish involvement when I was growing up,” said Lisa Kalal, “I love that my children are developing their own passions for Judaism through involvement in youth activities, in fact, the abundance of Jewish youth opportunities in this city is one of my most favorite reasons for living in San Diego, and I look forward to working with Federation to further enrich the Jewish community.”