Elana Solon

As Philanthropic Operations Officer, Elana works to cultivate, engage, and build purposeful relationships with donors and the community. This work includes gift tracking and reporting, engaging in events and seminars—both in-house and out in the community—and interfacing closely with our Board of Directors.

Elana most recently served the community in her role as Director of Memberships, Marketing and Events with the 134-year-old Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce. For nearly two years, Elana lent her talents to the local business community during one of the most historically challenging times. It was her honor to facilitate and reimagine networking and educational events and opportunities for local leadership in our public, private, and nonprofit sectors alike. With a background in operations, hospitality, and intercultural communication, Elana is excited to grow her existing community relationships in service to the Foundation.

A native to Santa Cruz and a close witness to the direct impact of the 2020s on local business and nonprofits, Elana wishes to be an integral part of this new era of giving. Nonprofit work has been a common thread throughout her life, volunteering with youth-, education- and culturally based nonprofits since childhood, including The Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., Women and Youth Supporting Each other (WYSE) at Yale, and, locally, the Black Health Matters Initiative and Reggie Stephens Foundation.

Ask Elana about...

Ask Elana about becoming a new fund holder and other opportunities to give back locally! A natural networker, Elana loves connecting like-minded people and organizations to each other. Let her know why you love Santa Cruz County, and she’ll help guide you toward the individuals and groups who place what you love at the heart of what they do.