Nathan Chosen to Head AEF, BCEF

Following a six-month search, the boards of directors of AIDS Emergency Fund and Breast Cancer Emergency Fund have hired Sandra Y. Nathan, an African American lesbian, as their next executive director.

Nathan replaces longtime former executive director Mike Smith, a gay man who retired in June after more than 12 years at the helm. She is the first lesbian and first person of color to be full-time executive director of the two agencies.

The nonprofit AEF and BCEF organizations provide emergency financial assistance to clients living with HIV/AIDS and breast cancer, respectively.

AEF board Chair Scott Williams and BCEF board Chair Heather Vucetin told the Bay Area Reporter that they are "grateful" to have someone of Nathan's caliber taking over. She begins her duties September 14.

"We're grateful to have a woman who happens to be a lesbian and a person of color at the helm of both agencies," Miller, an HIV-positive gay man, and Vucetin, a straight ally, said in an email. "Here's why: AIDS disproportionately affects people of color and breast cancer obviously mostly affects women.

"In addition, lesbians rose to the occasion in the 1980s and 1990s when gay men were in dire need of help," Miller and Vucetin continued. "In fact, this was one of the main factors behind the founding of Breast Cancer Emergency Fund - to honor the historic role that lesbians played in the earlier days of the AIDS epidemic. Given this, having a lesbian of color as our new executive director makes sense."

In an email, Nathan said she's "especially honored to work in collaboration with an amazing board and staff to ensure AEF and BCEF deliver on their missions, especially in this rapidly changing and complex environment."

Nathan also noted that her executive leadership experience in all three sectors - government, nonprofit, and philanthropic - will be an asset to the agencies.

"I am a collaborative leader and understand how to engage funders, donors, public officials, clients, and key stakeholders," she said. "I also have a background in advocacy, but most importantly, a deep passion to make a difference."

Nathan, who declined to provide her age, most recently served as vice president of grants and loans at the Marin Community Foundation in Novato. In that role, she oversaw grant making for the Buck Trust, whose mission is to ensure equity of opportunity for all Marin residents. Nathan also has a previous philanthropic position as president and chief executive officer of the Richmond Children's Foundation, now the Richmond Community Foundation.

In terms of government work, Nathan was director of the Department of Health and Human Services for the city of Oakland, director of Aging and Adult Services in San Francisco, and deputy county executive for Santa Clara County. According to an AEF/BCEF news release announcing her appointment, while working with the city of Oakland, Nathan developed one of the first outreach programs for adults age 50 and older who were at risk of HIV/AIDS.

Nathan worked in San Francisco during the administration of former Mayor Willie Brown, and was the first department head for Aging and Adult Services, she said.

Miller and Vucetin said that Nathan would spend a "considerable" amount of time fundraising. Nathan agreed with that assessment, saying that while AEF and BCEF have each enjoyed "strong donor, volunteer, and public support over the years" her responsibility will be to "grow the resources of the organization."

AEF, which started in 1982 at the height of the AIDS epidemic, is the older of the two organizations. It now has a budget of between $2.1 and $2.2 million. The affiliated BCEF was formed in 2001 with its own separate funding stream. BCEF's budget is about $1 million. Each organization has its own board of directors. Nathan's salary will be $160,000, Miller and Vucetin said, which is competitive in today's marketplace relative to organizations with similar sized budgets.

Miller and Vucetin both acknowledged "donor fatigue" around HIV/AIDS organizations.

"Donor fatigue in the AIDS service organization sector as a whole is now widely recognized, and most agencies feel the crunch," Miller and Vucetin said. "While there is considerable enthusiasm and support around HIV prevention in 2015, due to newer biomedical options, charitable giving for agencies like ours that operate at the opposite end of the HIV service spectrum is not as robust."

The board chairs said that Nathan and the AEF board will "take a good look at AEF's services against local needs."

"How can we better serve very poor people with disabling HIV/AIDS in San Francisco, and how can we secure donors who are behind our enhanced efforts?" Miller and Vucetin said.

Currently, AEF serves about 2,000 San Francisco residents, while BCEF serves about 400 women and families in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. Miller and Vucetin were asked if they see AEF and BCEF increasing the number of clients served, and whether there's a waiting list at either agency.

"There is currently not a waiting list at AEF or BCEF, although the AEF board has been weighing whether to consider a slight expansion of our services," Miller and Vucetin said. "Work is underway this year to determine how to best to that, and Sandra will obviously be instrumental in executing on higher-level decisions that are driven by the board."

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The executive director search was led by Scott Miller Executive Search. Miller, who used to work for Korn Ferry before starting his own firm, has filled numerous executive positions in various LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations. Miller told the B.A.R. back in January that he'd conduct the search based on what he heard from AEF and BCEF board members.

The search was thorough, Miller and Vucetin said.

"Scott Miller initially surveyed dozens of people with a touch point to one or both agencies - other executive directors, community leaders, donors, etc.," Miller and Vucetin said. "He presented eight candidates with a diverse range of work experience to the search committee. We then narrowed the field down to four for second-round interviews, then the two finalists had a thorough reference check, meetings with staff, and then sat for a joint session with both boards."

Miller and Vucetin were asked about one thing about Nathan that stood out to them and the two boards.

"Sandra is the whole package, and everyone loved her," they said. "She's got the credentials, personality, and vision for this job. She's a strong communicator with a wide variety of audiences."

Most of all, the two board chairs said, was Nathan's vision.

"She promises to take the organizations to the next level," Miller and Vucetin said, "so that we can expand our client base, range of services, or perhaps both."

Nathan's broader community work includes serving on the boards of the National LGBTQ Task Force and the Lambda Literary Foundation.