As president of the Kinship Fund, Kim’s passion is to practice bold, community-driven, trust-based philanthropy that fosters meaningful, long-term partnerships so everyone in our community can thrive. What sets her apart is how she leads system transformation by disrupting the power dynamic and building bridges between funders and nonprofits.  Kim brings a rich background spanning C-Suite experience in healthcare, marketing, higher education, and nonprofit leadership to be a catalyst for change in philanthropy.

After learning about the epidemic of human trafficking in San Diego, Kim began volunteering at her alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene University, dedicating herself to establishing a brand, outreach strategy and donor base for the university’s Center for Justice & Reconciliation. While there she launched the first college scholarship in the nation for survivors of human trafficking.

After a decade in this work, Kim made the decision in 2023 to shift her focus to the other side of philanthropy. “After a decade writing grants, working with foundations and navigating the challenges of running a nonprofit, I was thrilled with the opportunity to bring this experience to the funder-side of the house,” said Kim. “Our systems are inequitable and the racial wealth gap is widening, while our infrastructure continues to deteriorate. There’s a power dynamic between funders and the nonprofit organizations that depend on that funding. I hope to be a small part of the efforts to shift philanthropy to a place where we trust the leaders doing the work on the ground, and accompany them with a posture of humility and learning. The values of the Kinship Fund reflect the best of who I hope to be as a person and member of our community.”

Maya Heffernan has spent the better part of the last 30 years helping people heal, grow and thrive. For decades, she has served as a volunteer and leader in several community organizations, including churches, parent-teacher associations, and local nonprofits.

Maya has been in the social service field for 15 years, and had her first experience working with underserved populations at the Salvation Army, where she counseled unsheltered folks struggling with substance addictions. It was the most formative and rewarding work she had ever done. Maya was recognized as Intern of the Year for her hard work and dedication to those she served. Maya continued in the social service field as a Domestic Violence Counselor, where she supported survivors with individual and group therapy.

Maya holds a Master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University in Clinical Psychology. In 2019, Maya was licensed as Marriage and Family Therapist. She built and maintains her own successful private practice helping individuals, couples and families heal and grow.

Maya intuitively knows how to leverage resources to create meaningful impact in any community in which she serves. She’s an engaging and inspiring leader with a gift for bringing diverse groups of people together.  Whether by vocation or as a volunteer, Maya has invested the best resources of her life to bring hope and healing to others.

For the past 38 years she and her husband have lived in San Diego, , raised two amazing humans, and are now enjoying the gift of being grandparents.

Brooke Jones is a passionate educator and unwavering advocate for children, students, and families. She currently serves as an Education Specialist within a local school district, where she designs and implements individualized education plans (IEPs) for K–5 students with diverse learning needs. Her greatest passion lies in walking alongside families as they begin their journey through special education—serving as an advocate, a thoughtful listener, and a strategic partner.

Brooke is known for her big-picture thinking and deep understanding of special education law and policy, particularly how these systems intersect with the lives of real people in our communities. Through her involvement with the Kinship Fund, Brooke became connected to the San Diego Office of the Primary Public Defender, Juvenile Justice Division. There, she collaborates with some of the county’s most dedicated child and family advocates, supporting youth who are navigating the justice system by championing holistic and transformative educational advocacy.

With an academic background in social philosophy and extensive experience in the K–12 education system, Brooke brings a distinctive and grounded perspective to her work. She is deeply inspired by the writings of Paulo Freire, especially Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970), which has profoundly shaped her educational philosophy. For Brooke, education is not merely instruction—it is liberation.

She believes education must become a dialogue, a mutual exchange that transforms not only the learner but the entire system. For true change to take root, she asserts, young people must be empowered to see themselves as the architects of that change.

Embracing the titles of “visionary” and “ideas person,” Brooke is honored to bring her imagination, insight, and commitment to her work with the Kinship Fund. Her guiding belief in radical kinship—with the Earth, with Self, and with Others—infuses every aspect of her advocacy and educational practice.

Jessica D. Naidu is a restorative leader with more than a decade of experience teaching and learning around the globe. Most recently, she was the Assistant Director of the Center for Restorative Justice at the University of San Diego where she provided vision, strategy and direction for a national team, facilitated trainings and supported day-to-day operations including the management of multi-year federal grants.

Jessica has a Master of Arts in Higher Education Leadership and a Certificate in Restorative Justice Facilitation & Leadership from USD. Her graduate research examined institutional willingness to use restorative justice as a resolution for cases of gender-based misconduct, and it resulted in USD allowing students to choose restorative resolution in these sensitive cases. She also recently published a chapter in the book, Applying Restorative Justice to Campus Sexual Misconduct: A Guide to Emerging Practices.

As a writer and former journalist with a passion for education, Jessica is inspired by the community and healing that comes from restorative processes rooted in the power of storytelling. She spent five years managing teen services programs at literacy non-profit Words Alive where she supported students in San Diego who were undocumented, impacted by the justice system and/or experiencing homelessness, pregnancy or parenting. Jessica has also taught English in Santiago, Chile, and trained teachers and developed young leaders in rural West Africa.

Jessica is currently taking a sabbatical from the workforce, so she can home with her son, Avi, who was born in March 2023. 

Sydney Pidgeon, serving as Treasurer of the Kinship Fund, brings her experience in higher education and commitment to educational access and community development to the board. Sydney presently holds the position of Associate Director of Study Abroad at American College of the Mediterranean-Institute of American Universities, a renowned international leader in global immersion and education. In this role, she oversees the study abroad opportunities at all ACM-IAU across the Mediterranean aimed to provide excellence in international education, inspire intercultural awareness, and prepare students for success in a global community through the study of European and Mediterranean history, languages, cultures, and contemporary issues.

This experience, in partnership with Sydney’s Masters Degree in Higher Education Leadership and Certificate in Restorative Justice, inform Sydney’s approach to community partnerships and collaborative dialogue aimed towards creating a sustainable impact. Sydney has demonstrated this commitment through her career in Higher Education and work as a Restorative Justice practitioner focused on community reentry, police-community collaboration, victim-offender mediation, and community building.

Sydney is a life-long San Diegan, and dedicates much of her time supporting San Diego based initiatives. Sydney currently serves on the Board for San Diego County Crime Stoppers, is an active member of the La Mesa Village Association, volunteers through the National Center for Restorative Justice based in San Diego, and serves on the personnel committee at her church, Normal Heights United Methodist. Sydney currently resides in La Mesa, California, with her husband, Zach, and two dachshunds, Willie and Juni.

Ginger Shaw is a community leader and advocate who sees possibility in all situations. Her work has led to local and international collaboration. Ginger’s drive to end human trafficking began with an oversee trip through World Concern International to study education, child protection, and economic development programs for women and children-at-risk. That first-hand view of the personal, familial, and societal devastation of labor and sex trafficking led to her work as a World Concern field representative leading multiple overseas trips to Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Kenya, and Thailand in support of national workers through communications, training, and donor development.

In 2011, Ginger connected with California Against Slavery (CAS) during the Prop 35/CASE Act campaign, acting as volunteer coordinator for San Diego County. Serving as a driver/team mom for CAS road trips, she built connections with dedicated advocates and service providers across the state. As the executive director of CAS, she used those connections and experience to develop a state-wide Directory of Services and coordinate a network of 40+ regional service providers to more expediently locate shelter for survivors.

Ginger led California Against Slavery as President and Executive Director and continues to Chair its Board of Directors. She is the former vice chair of the San Diego Human Trafficking Advisory Council and Coordinator/CoChair of the SoCal Safe Shelter Collaborative.

She has been named a Mission Hero by Soroptimists Together Against Trafficking and Connector of the Year by North County Lifeline. Ginger was also honored with the Hope Rising award from the Center for Justice and Reconciliation at Point Loma Nazarene University and awarded an honorary doctorate from California State University San Marcos for her passionate dedication to end human trafficking.