The Livable World Legacy Society Catherine Brozowski: Making the World a Better Place

Making a legacy gift to a cause that you hold dear is an investment for the future. Few people understand this better than Catherine Brozowski, this month's featured Livable World Legacy Society member. From the time she was very young she knew she wanted to make the world a better place, and decided early in her career that she wanted to work in the field of philanthropy.

Catherine grew up in Thousand Oaks, California from the time she was seven. She went on to attend the University of California San Diego and had the good fortune of encountering Professor Terry Odendahl who became a mentor and role model to her. It was when Odendahl left the university to work at a grantmaking organization that Catherine discovered that it was possible to devote one's career to helping individuals and organizations direct charitable resources to causes that make a difference in peoples' lives. Catherine followed her mentor to intern at that same organization, which turned into her first grantmaking job. She was captivated by the magic that can happen when a philanthropic organization strategically invests in important causes-and the people behind them.

Catherine rounded out her education with a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington and additional educational programs from Harvard and Stanford. The early days of her professional career were spent as Assistant Vice President and Grant Manager at the Washington Mutual Foundation in Seattle and Miami. A call in 2005 with the Santa Barbara Foundation brought her back to the Central Coast, where she took on the role of Vice President of Programs. It was in Santa Barbara that she met her husband, Steve Conner. Executive leadership positions at the Orfalea Foundation and the Audacious Foundation followed, and along the way Catherine created a consulting business, using her experience and deep knowledge of the nonprofit world to advise foundations and donors on grantmaking strategies and on ways to engage the next generation in philanthropy.

Catherine and Steve have two children, and she devotes much of her time and energy to community service. The Community Environmental Council benefitted profoundly from the wisdom, strategic insights, and support Catherine contributed during the six years she served on its Board of Directors. She shared this of her investment in CEC: "Including CEC in my will was one of the easiest decisions I have made. I want to implant the value of tending to our planet, and making intentional choices in how we live, with my children."

We are deeply grateful for the generous legacy gift Catherine designated for CEC in her estate plan.

"Climate change surrounds us every day," says Catherine. "CEC brings hope that collectively we can make the choices needed to protect our planet."

To join Catherine in becoming a member of CEC's Livable World Legacy Society, and to learn more about how legacy donors are so critical to our work, you can reach out to Karl Hutterer at [email protected] or visit our website.