Board of Directors

Will Rodriguez-Kennedy is a public servant and community leader who serves as a Defense and Veteran Affairs Field Representative and as the President of the County of San Diego Civil Service Commission. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he has more than a decade of demonstrated service to community, county, and country.

Will became civically active in his fight against the unconstitutional "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy when he was outed in the military as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Since then, Will has been a leading voice on issues of social and economic justice. His previous board service includes San Diego LGBT Pride and the San Diego County Veteran and Military Advisory Council.

Gretchen Newsom is an International Representative for the Ninth District of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), representing 160,000 union electrical workers across the West Coast. She specializes in labor relations, government affairs, and community advocacy and previously served as Political Director for IBEW Local 569. 

Gretchen is a senior member of the California Employment Training Panel and chairs the Audit Committee for the San Diego Regional Airport Authority.  

A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt with a degree in Government and Politics, Gretchen was honored as “Woman of the Year” and is a graduate of the California State Executive Fellowship Program. Passionate about workforce development, she lives in San Diego with her son.

Jessica Anderson is the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. In this role, she leads the Chamber’s strategy, vision, and day-to-day operations.

Jessica served the City of San Diego for more than a decade as a senior advisor to two San Diego mayors, Mayor Todd Gloria and Mayor Kevin Faulconer. She brings extensive experience in public policy, coalition building, strategic planning, and government affairs.

A graduate of New York University, Jessica has certificates of completion from the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, the University of San Diego's Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate Finance and Development, and is a San Diego Leadership Alliance Fellow. She currently serves on the Board of the Downtown San Diego Partnership and the San Diego Airport Advisory Committee.

Shawn Dixon is President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a global nonprofit conservation organization working across six continents.

Before assuming his current role, he served for nine years as Chief Operating Officer at the Alliance, where he enhanced visitor experiences and oversaw strategic planning, architecture, merchandising, and marketing. Shawn began his career with Hilton Hotels and later worked at Vail Resorts, directing operations at 13 hotels, a conference center, and amenities across the Western U.S. and Jamaica.

He is a professional fellow of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a member of San Diego Rotary Club 33, and serves on the boards of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and San Diego Regional EDC. Shawn was the immediate past chair of the San Diego Tourism Authority from 2021 to 2024. 

Shawn VanDiver is the founder of #AfghanEvac and works with government leaders at all levels throughout California to identify innovative solutions to long-term civic challenges. Shawn is the founder of the San Diego Chapter of the Truman National Security Project and serves as Executive Director of the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum’s San Diego Chapter. He also serves on the Boards for Emerge California, Veterans Community Connections and the Downtown San Diego Partnership. 

He attended National University, the Naval Postgraduate School, and University of San Francisco and holds degrees and certifications related to homeland security, cybersecurity, emergency management, and public leadership. Shawn is a Navy veteran, proud father and avid sailor.