Joleen Ruffin brings her extensive business and financial management background to her role as Kataly’s Chief Financial and Operations Officer (CFOO). Her strategic leadership of the Foundation’s internal operations prioritizes well-being, shared purpose, and interconnectedness by building equitable and responsive processes and systems. Her commitment to shifting organizational practices to align with liberatory values shapes how she oversees and supports the finance and accounting, human resources, grants management, information technology, and investment activities of the Foundation.
In her twenty-plus years in the social sector, her experience includes working with several nonprofit, private foundation, and higher education institutions including the University of California, Berkeley, the Community Development Institute, the Stuart Foundation, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Before joining Kataly, Joleen was Executive Director for the Berkeley Community Fund (now Berkeley Community Scholars), an organization providing scholarships to students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. She proudly serves on the board of RepresentEd Leadership.
Joleen lives in the San Francisco East Bay and is the proud (and busy) mom to three young adults. She enjoys warm days soaking up the beautiful California weather, reading a good book, going wine tasting with friends, or taking long walks on the Bay Trail.
Photo by Bethanie Hines