Contributor

John E. Kobara

Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, California Community Foundation

John E. Kobara is a respected figure nationally in the philanthropic and nonprofit communities. As executive vice president and chief operating officer at the California Community Foundation, he is responsible for all of the development, marketing, administrative, grantmaking, civic engagement and donor relations functions of the foundation. He joined the foundation in 2008 to head the external and donor relations department. From 2003-2008, he was on the foundation’s board of directors while serving as head of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. For 35 years, Kobara has been leading and managing innovative nonprofit organizations, companies and technology startups, and actively involved in advancing social justice by increasing access to educational opportunities in Los Angeles. In 2007, Kobara received the City of Angels Award for his service on behalf of children and families. He was a Coro Fellow in Los Angeles and earned a bachelor’s from UCLA, a master’s in business administration from USC and a master’s from Occidental College.