Mara Perez, PhD

by Andres Bramson

Mara Perez Is Founder and Principal of Mara Perez, Fund Development and Planning Services. Mara provides fundraising and strategic planning services to non-profits and educational institutions. She has helped nearly eighty organizations obtain millions of dollars in funding, design innovative work strategies, establish high-impact visions and missions, and execute growth plans. Mara holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago.

Mara writes for Latin Business Today, and has published for other entities, including Stanford Social Innovation Review and Grassroots Fundraising Journal. She has also written articles, book reviews and contributed to chapters in books in academic publications. Her writings are about immigration, social change, fundraising, the Latino population in the U.S., the non-profit sector and philanthropy. She has also conducted fundraising workshops in the U.S. and abroad.

Community service includes: 2010-present Board Member of Marin General Hospital (Greenbrae, CA); 2002-2012 Board Member Canal Alliance, and twice Board President (San Rafael, CA). Mara has been serving on Boards since 1995. In 2005 she received the Spirit of Marin Award and was named Business Person of the Year by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Marin. In addition, Mara was a Coro Leadership Community Fellow in San Francisco. Born in Argentina, she resides in Northern California.