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The Board of Reality Changers of San Diego is pleased to announce that Tamara Y. Craver will join the organization as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Craver has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and executive leadership.
Craver was recently interviewed on KUSI news. Click here to watch the interview.
Craver will begin her new leadership role on August 1, 2019, succeeding Interim Executive Director and Board Chair, Kimberley Phillips Boehm. “We are thrilled to have such an accomplished leader in college access as the next CEO of Reality Changers,” Boehm said. “Tamara is a passionate advocate for first-generation college students.”
Tamara Craver brings an enviable range of abilities as a fundraiser and executive. During her 12 years as Director of The Posse Foundation, Los Angeles, Craver built the office from a small staff and budget to the second largest office within the Posse Foundation. Under her leadership, the Los Angeles office dramatically increased the number of students it prepared for and then mentored through its ten partner colleges and universities. In addition to leading a successful office, Craver more than quadrupled the annual revenue. She established enduring relationships with partner colleges across the nation. Prior to her role with Posse, Craver served as Director of Development and Communications for Torrance South Bay YMCA and as Director, Social Markets for the American Heart Association, Western States Affiliates.
After Founder Chris Yanov stepped down, the Board of Reality Changers launched the search in the early winter. Steve Ortiz, who is the former Chief Operating Officer of Texas Roadhouse and current Board Member, chaired the search committee. “We brought in CStone & Associates to perform a nationwide search,” he said. “We were looking for someone who had experience with more than just leadership. We wanted a leader who could build a Culture First organization, someone with the vision to take Reality Changers into the future.” Boehm added: “Tamara impressed the search committee and the board with her many years developing the capacity of Posse, Los Angeles. Her strengths as a strategic, disciplined and charismatic leader are widely known and praised.”
“While I loved the Posse Foundation and its focus on helping 12th graders prepare for college, I am attracted to Reality Changers’ mission to support 8th through 11th graders, some of the most vulnerable students with academic potential,” Craver remarked after the Board’s vote. “I look forward to working with such a passionate, intelligent, and dedicated staff.”
Numerous organizations have recognized Craver’s commitment to education, including the LA Business Journal and the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. In 2011, Los Angeles Magazine selected her as one of the 50 Most Inspirational Women in Los Angeles. She was a Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Fellow (2012). She is completing a master’s degree in organizational leadership at Gonzaga University and she received her Bachelor of Arts in history and psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.