Heidi McPherson, CEO of The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County for the last 10 years, is stepping down.
Foundation Board President Kath Tompkins announced McPherson’s retirement in an email on Wednesday. “We are deeply grateful for Heidi’s invaluable contributions,” Tompkins wrote. “She has always ensured our mission and values remain at the forefront of our impact, and we have witnessed this in her leadership both in times of challenge and success. Our charitable assets have nearly doubled in the last ten years, reaching an impressive $83 million, and we’ve tripled the number of funds under our management.”
Tompkins praised McPherson’s tenure, which included the launch of the Foundation’s Data Center—a digital hub of information about pressing issues and emerging trends—and McPherson’s leadership in implementing programs that provided immediate, unrestricted dollars to nonprofits during recent disasters and the COVID epidemic.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together,” McPherson wrote in the same email. “We have made tremendous progress in maturing this foundation, and it’s ready for this next growth phase.”
According to Tompkins, McPherson will remain available for advisory and consulting roles after her retirement at the end of January 2025, but Tompkins did not share information about the Foundation’s transition plans going forward.