Jennifer Merrill

Director of strategic partnerships

(510) 444-4622 x 105
jmerrill@calsac.org

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

— Maya Angelou

Jennifer is a self-proclaimed professional role model who has served in the out of school time field for the last decade. She first began her role with CalSAC by participating in the 2016 leadership development institute. Jennifer later became a Cal Sac Board Member serving from 2018-2020. She comes to Cal Sac from the YMCA of San Diego County, where she was a Camp Director and later the Department head for the nonprofit, overseeing critical out of school time programs in central San Diego.

Jennifer’s career has been rooted in child development, and nonprofit leadership. She is enthusiastic about diversity and inclusion, economic empowerment, and education, she also passionately advocates for social justice. She enjoys making strategic partnerships and connecting people to big visions and goals. Jennifer also enjoys creating a rich culture in the workplace by making people feel valued, recognized, and a part of the team.

Jennifer has been involved in development work for the past 12 years, where she has led giving campaigns, company events, and community fundraisers that were all successful in securing hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years; most recently Jennifer was the director of development for the San Diego Musical Theater where she managed the company’s board of Directors and leaned into creative critical thinking to secure crucial dollars for the organization during the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Jennifer enjoys interior design, event planning, organizing, and reading fictional books, such as Harry Potter! When not at work you can find her deep in a DIY project, cooking, or spending quality time with her husband, family, or friends. Her favorite exercise is Zumba. In fact, she loves it so much that she became a certified Zumba instructor back in 2016. Overall, she enjoys spreading positive energy, helping others, and giving back whenever possible.