KAREN SALZ BLUESTONE 111 MONO AVENUE *FAIRFAX, CA *94930 415 246 0220 *Karen.Bluestone@gmail.

comnon-profit Strategy, Program and Operations Leader Accomplished non-profit strategist, program developer and problem-solver, skille d at leading complex social change organizations. Strengths include optimizing i nternal processes for increased efficiency, building and leading effective teams , developing, executing and measuring strategy, program design, evaluation and a ssessment and budget planning and management. An effective public speaker and co mmunicator, capable of inspiring employees, donors, partners and board members w hile driving an organization's mission. * Optimized an International Grantmaking Organization - Created operational solu tions that transformed a large, complex, multinational philanthropy, the JCF, in stituting a new data-driven business model and grantmaking structure, along with supportive changes to IT systems, that led the organization to new heights in p rogrammatic impact, efficiency, donor investment, talent attraction and retentio n.* * Led a Collaborative Strategy-Refinement Process - Led Board members, managemen t and senior program officers at the JCF in setting and developing new, more com pelling, programmatic direction for $25+ million in domestic and international g rant-making that led to well-funded and impactful programs in education, poverty alleviation, and care for the elderly, among others.* * Enhanced Institutional Responsiveness - As an economic strategy consultant wit h IDeA, analyzed and facilitated increased "responsiveness" of systems of innova tion - workforce (universities), capital (banks and venture capital), energy, et c. - to support emerging industries while sustaining or improving quality of lif e. In San Antonio, Texas, helped to improve post secondary responsiveness by de monstrating to hi-tech and communications corporations the ROI on funding schola rships for underrepresented youth eager to join their workforce.* * Led Expansion to New Regions, Developed New Projects and Funding Partners - Le d the Eurasia Foundation to vastly increased scope in the Russian Far East and A rmenia; and added new major projects in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, including a media development loan fund, small business lending, and an economics education partnership. Successfully cultivated funding partners, both public and private , for all. Experience Chief Planning and Program Officer (including Operations) JCF and Endowment Fund, San Francisco, CA 2005 - 2010 A community-based grantmaking and programming organization made up of foundation s and community contributors, distributing over $160 million in grants per year to domestic and international NGOs in areas such as education, youth, civil soci ety development, and Middle East peace. Reported to CEO, responsible for international operations, grantmaking, in-house programs, and strategic planning. In the absence of a CEO from May 2006 to July 2008, assumed additional responsibilities from the CEO-portfolio, such as clari fication of organizational policies and practices, review of bylaws, representat ion at national and international meetings, speaking engagements, foundation rel ations, and liaison with international partners. Directly supervised 13 profess ional staff and 150 volunteer advisors. * Increased impact - Improved the organization's ability to address gaps in the portfolio by directing thoughtful needs assessments and developing and sustainin g new partnerships with intermediaries, grantees and other funders. * Built a culture, practices and systems for organizational learning - Integrate d an evaluative "lifecycle" framework into the operational calendar that fostere d continual learning and shortened correction cycles across the organization. Id

entified metrics and evaluation methods for all grant programs. Partnered with s enior management to integrate strategic practices, such as logic models, a dashb oard, and other cross-functional alignment tools that vastly improved organizati onal accountability and brought measurable outcomes to the forefront.* * Contributed to the field - Re-energized professional staff as well as diverse groups of US and overseas grantees by bringing quality opportunities for profess ional development, sharing of best practices, and collaborative visioning betwee n grantees and philanthropic partners with shared objectives, resulting in a sha red theory of change and heightened collaboration, as well as improved communica tion of value propositions and impact. Principal Information Design Associates (IDeA), Tiburon and Richmond, CA 19 99 - 2005*Global economic research and consulting practice focused on sustainabl e prosperity and innovation. The firm applied a triple bottom-line approach to a ssessing and developing innovation that considers: economic performance, environ mental impact, and social equity.* * Developed Economic Sustainability Strategies: o Improved Regional Performance: Co-led four regions (Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA ; Porto Seguro, BRAZIL; Albuquerque, NM; San Antonio, TX) through "Competitivene ss and Innovation" projects, resulting in improved regional performance in areas from biotech to creative industries to clean technologies and paved the way for enhanced quality of life. * Institutional Development: o Foundations: Brought greater alignment between goals, strategies, and resource s invested by conducting field scans, program evaluations and impact assessments , developing grant-making guidelines, and evaluating grant proposals for foundat ion clients such as the James Irvine Foundation. o Universities: Enhanced strategic impact of UC programs and spin-offs such as t he UCI ADVANCE Program (for gender equity), the Newkirk Center for Science and S ociety, and the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding. Director of External Relations School of Social Ecology, UC Irvine, CA 1997 - 1999 An interdisciplinary academic unit dedicated to social change, translating study into practical solutions to domestic and international social problems. * Cultivated major individual and corporate partners to invest in Centers for Co mmunity Health and Urban Water Policy and fund scholarships aimed at attracting and retaining a diverse student body. * Vastly improved the School's visibility and annual contributions by conceptual izing and orchestrating an unprecedented day-long town hall (now held annually), featuring such prestigious keynote speakers as former Vice President Al Gore. Senior Program Officer The Eurasia Foundation, Washington, DC 1995 - 1997 A private foundation dedicated to economic development, education and civil soci ety in the former Soviet Union.* Member of Senior Management Team. Acted in lieu of VP during his absence. Superv ised six program officers and approved grants up to $250,000. Supervised Washing ton and regional staff in eight cities of the former Soviet Union to support the management of grant-making and lending activities totaling over $23 million ann ually. * Translated a deep understanding of both high-level organizational priorities a nd field-level issues to professionals at all levels that ensured program focus. Developed clear processes and systems to facilitate efficient work management and communication across regional and headquarter offices. * Expanded resource base from reliance on a single funding source to dozens by p artnering with the World Bank, the Soros and MacArthur Foundations, U.S. oil com panies, Russian entrepreneurs and the Japanese government.* Associate Director of Development 1995

UCLA School of Public Affairs * Assistant Cultural Attache (U.S. Foreign Service) US Department of State/U.S. Embassy In Moscow, Russia EDUCATION

1991 -1993

M.B.A., University of California at Los Angeles; Anderson Graduate School of Man agement, 1995 Concentration in non-profit management and finance. B.A. with High Honors, University of California at Berkeley. 1991

George Washington University, School of International Affairs. Varsity Debate. 1988