An Initiative of the Nancy Neffson & Wetmore Family Foundation

How We Work

Our Team

Kim Jones

President & Board Chair

As president of the Kinship Fund, Kim is committed to practicing bold, community-driven, trust-based philanthropy that fosters meaningful, long-term partnerships so everyone in our community can thrive. What sets her apart is her ability to lead system transformation by disrupting power dynamics and building bridges between funders and nonprofits. Kim brings a rich background spanning C-Suite experience in healthcare, marketing, higher education, and nonprofit leadership, serving as a catalyst for change in philanthropy.

Learn more about Kim

Kathryn Clauzel

Director of Operations & Strategy

Progress multiplies when we come together, honoring both our unique differences and strengths. As a proud champion of the essential work of nonprofits, I’m grateful to be part of the Kinship Fund, which is rooted in this belief and works to lift and amplify the vital community work happening every day.

Learn more about Kathryn

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors are committed to practicing trust-based philanthropy practices as we build connections with our community. Our Board includes:

Crystal Abrahim

Director

Crystal is a human rights advocate, paralegal, and community leader who has built her career around law and social justice. She studied sociology, international security and conflict resolution, and went on to earn a graduate degree in Peace Studies from the University of San Diego. That broad educational background gave her a deep understanding of the forces that affect vulnerable communities – both locally and around the world -and it shapes everything she does today.

Learn more about Crystal

Michelle Cardenas

Director

Michelle Cardenas is the Founder of Uncommon Craft, a nonprofit advisory firm that helps mission-driven organizations strengthen fundraising strategy, build sustainable revenue programs, and expand their long-term impact.

Learn more about Michelle

Brooke Jones

Secretary

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

Learn more about Brooke
Sydney Pidgeon

Sydney Pidgeon

Treasurer

Sydney brings her experience in education, strategic initiatives, and a deep commitment to people and community development. She has demonstrated this commitment throughout her career in higher education, strategic program management, and as a Restorative Justice practitioner focused on community reentry, police-community collaboration, victim-offender mediation, and community building.

Learn more about Sydney
Ginger Shaw

Ginger Shaw

Director

Ginger Shaw is a community leader and advocate who sees possibility in all situations. She led California Against Slavery, chaired the San Diego Human Trafficking Advisory Council, and is the Coordinator/co-chair of the SoCal Safe Shelter Collaborative.

Learn more about Ginger

Kimberly A. White-Smith

Dean and Professor

Dr. Kimberly A. White-Smith, professor and Dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego. A nationally recognized leader in education, Dr. White-Smith brings more than 30 years of experience advancing urban schooling, strengthening educator preparation, and leading transformative change across academic and nonprofit sectors.

Learn more about Kimberley

Kim's Story

Kim became President of the Kinship Fund the way most meaningful things happen: because someone she loved asked her to. When her friend Nancy passed away, she asked Kim to build something that would support women and girls. Kim said yes, and spent the next season figuring out what that really meant.

What she brought to it was unusual. Four distinct careers spanning healthcare, marketing, higher education, and nonprofit leadership, plus a decade on the ground hustling for grants, navigating foundations, and learning exactly where the system fails the people it’s supposed to serve. That experience didn’t just prepare her for philanthropy. It gave her something to push back against.

The Kinship Fund operates differently by design. Multi-year unrestricted funding, in-person listening sessions instead of written reports, along with every internal process tested against one question: what’s actually best for the nonprofit leaders doing this work? The goal is to shift power, not perform it.

Today, the Kinship Fund supports two efforts in San Diego. The first is the Place-Based Project to Support Refugees and Immigrants in El Cajon. The second is the Youth Mentorship Collaborative, partnering with nine nonprofits focused on young people.

Kim is also co-author of Empathy Impact, a bestselling book rooted in the belief that real innovation starts with relationships. Earlier in her career, she launched the first college scholarship in the country specifically for survivors of human trafficking, built through her work at Point Loma Nazarene University’s Center for Justice & Reconciliation.

Her biggest point of pride is her two kids: a son who serves as a police officer and a daughter who teaches and advocates for students with special needs. She and her husband, Chris, share their home with three dogs who are convinced they have a seat at the table, too.

Kim in the Community

Coming Up:

10/13/26: Speaker, Independent Sector National Summit – We See You: Building a Nonprofit Sector Where Leaders Can Thrive

11/12/26: Speaker, Exponent Philanthropy National Conference – The Wellbeing Investment: Rethinking Grantee Support

Speaking & Writing:

The Kinship Fund Blog: Thoughts on Trust-Based Philanthropy & Strengthening the Nonprofit Sector

Speaker, Nonprofit Institute Symposium at the University of San Diego: We See You: Building a San Diego Where Nonprofit Leaders Can Thrive

Podcast, Her Best Chapter:  The Ripple Effect of Kindness

Podcast, Spotlight on the Community: Trust-Based Philanthropy & True Kinship: Building Multi-Year Unrestricted Support for Women, Girls, and Youth Mentorship

Speaker, Exponent Philanthropy National Conference: Co-Creating What’s Possible: Unlocking Impact Through Collaborative Philanthropy

Speaker, Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial County Bright Spots Conference (2025): Igniting Change Beyond the Dollars

Rock Your City with Miles McPherson: White Privilege and Anti-Racism

San Diego Union Tribune: In Times of Discord, How Do We Hit the Reset Button

Kathryn's Story

As Director of Operations & Strategy, Kathryn focuses on building thoughtful systems, nurturing partnerships, and strengthening the foundations that allow nonprofits to expand their impact. She brings over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, grounded in the belief that sustainable support can change the trajectory of families and communities.

Her heart for service began during volunteer work abroad—most notably in Tanzania—where she partnered with a grassroots feeding program and witnessed firsthand the power of connected community. That experience shaped her career path and continues to inform her approach to leadership and operations.

In true nonprofit fashion, Kathryn has worn many hats, from program development and volunteer management to executive support and project management. She understands the demands of the sector and is deeply committed to helping organizations strengthen and amplify their impact.

Kathryn graduated magna cum laude from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Child Development and has remained rooted in community-centered work ever since.

When she’s not keeping up with her two energetic  children, Kathryn finds joy in running, the beach, and anything outdoors with friends and family.

Crystal's Story

Crystal works for a local San Diego law firm, where she leads a team dedicated to wildfire cases, advocating for families and individuals who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to fires caused by corporate negligence. She believes that legal professionals have a duty to serve not just their clients, but the broader cause of justice and human dignity.

As the daughter of Iraqi immigrants, Crystal has a strong connection to the SWANA community. Much of her volunteer work has been focused on supporting refugee populations, and she looks forward to building real, lasting relationships in her neighborhood through the Kinship Fund.

A lifelong San Diegan, Crystal was raised in the Chaldean community of El Cajon, where she still resides with her husband and three children. She enjoys live music, poetry, yoga, art, and traveling. One of the guiding principles she and her family strive to live by comes from Pope Francis: “I ask everyone [with political responsibility] to remember two things: human dignity and the common good.”

Michelle's Story

With more than a decade of leadership experience in philanthropy and nonprofit development, Michelle has helped organizations grow revenue, deeApen donor engagement, and strengthen organizational capacity. Prior to founding Uncommon Craft, she served as Vice President of Global Fundraising at Biblica and Vice President of Development at San Diego Rescue Mission, where she led fundraising strategy, team development, and organizational growth initiatives.

Throughout her career, Michelle has remained committed to serving marginalized communities, including international refugees, at-risk youth, survivors of sex trafficking, and individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, and addiction. She is passionate about advancing work that creates greater opportunity, dignity, and hope for those too often overlooked.

Michelle brings expertise in fundraising, strategic planning, board and executive partnership, and sustainable organizational growth. She is known for her thoughtful leadership, collaborative approach, and ability to connect vision with execution.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Point Loma Nazarene University and a Master’s degree in Human Services from the University of the Rockies. A Southern California native, Michelle lives in San Diego with her husband, Mauricio, and remains actively involved in her local church and community.

Brooke's Story

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

Brooke is known for her big-picture thinking and 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 has collaborated 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 experience in the K–12 education system, Brooke brings a distinctive and grounded perspective to her work. She also completed her certification in Restorative Justice Facilitation and Leadership through the University of San Diego, further strengthening her commitment to relationship-centered practices that foster accountability, healing, and community connection. She is deeply inspired by the writings of Paulo Freire, especially Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970), which has profoundly shaped her educational, professional and personal philosophies. For Brooke, education is liberation. 

Embracing the title of “visionary” and “systems thinker,” Brooke is honored to bring her imagination, insight, and commitment to her work with the Kinship Fund. Her guiding belief in radical kinship infuses every aspect of her advocacy and educational practice.

Sydney's Story

Sydney Pidgeon, serving as Treasurer of the Kinship Fund, brings her experience in education, strategic initiatives, and commitment to people and community development to the board. Sydney currently supports strategic initiatives and programs at Rady Children’s Health focused on advancing people, culture, and the mission to defend childhood. Previously, Sydney dedicated 8 years to student development and international education at University of San Diego and the American College of the Mediterranean-Institute of American Universities, two renowned international leaders in global immersion and education.

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

Sydney is a lifelong San Diegan and dedicates much of her time supporting San Diego-based initiatives. She resides in La Mesa, California, with her husband, Zach, and their three dogs (Willie, Juni, and Luna) and their eight chickens.

Ginger's Story

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.

Kimberly's Story

Dr. White-Smith’s work is grounded in a deep commitment to academic justice and expanding opportunity for communities that have been historically marginalized. She has dedicated her career to ensuring that our systems not only include—but truly serve—Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Queer, neurodivergent, and veteran communities, creating spaces where all learners are seen, valued, and supported.

Under her leadership, SOLES has become a hub of innovation and impact, launching initiatives such as the Black InGenius Initiative, the Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity, and expanded mental health services for military-connected families. Her work consistently bridges scholarship, leadership, and community engagement to create real and lasting change.

A prolific scholar, sought-after speaker, and influential leader, Dr. White-Smith serves as Vice President of Division K of the American Educational Research Association and, in 2024, received the AACTE Edward C. Pomeroy Award for outstanding contributions to teacher education. In 2023, she was recognized by the San Diego Business Journal and the San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce for her community engagement, being named one of 50 Black Leaders of Influence.

More than anything, Dr. White-Smith leads with purpose, heart, and an unwavering belief in the brilliance of our communities.

The Kinship Fund

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