Monthly Archives: May 2024
Social Service and Welfare—San Diego Youth Services
Laura O’Sullivan is the Director of Philanthropy and Donor Engagement at San Diego Youth Services. She came to San Diego Youth Services in 2023 after previously serving on their board of directors from 2012-2018. Laura has been working in the San Diego philanthropy sector for more than 20 years. She began her career at Qualcomm in Corporate Giving leading grants, employee volunteerism, board service and CSR programs for ten years. She also served in development roles at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and the Coronado Schools Foundation.
Laura grew up in Coronado and graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.A in Communication and a B.A. in Organizational Studies. She met her husband, J.T., in UC Davis Spanish class and took a brief “retirement” to raise their three young children while their family moved around for J.T.’s NFL Career.
Laura is the proud mother of three active boys: Jack(14), Larkin(10), and Davis(8). She enjoys watching her children play sports, the beach and cheering for the Padres.
She thanks her sponsors Michael Brunker, Andrea da Rosa and Courtney Pendleton.
Gourmet Cookies
Maya Madsen is the founder and CEO of Maya’s Cookies, America’s #1 Black-Owned Gourmet Vegan Cookie Company. As a vegan with a sweet tooth she had not been able to find perfectly delicious, soft-baked gourmet vegan cookies, so she spent years crafting award-winning and crowd pleasing recipes. She started her gourmet cookie business in 2015 by selling her baked goods at farmers markets in the area and online. Her company was steadily growing year after year. Then, in the summer of 2020, the civil unrest sweeping the nation prompted a list of black-owned businesses to be shared world wide, and Maya’s Cookies made that list (because they are delicious). Since that summer she has opened two brick-and-mortar stores while also maintaining her online sales, as well as selling on the Home Shopping Network.
Maya is committed to superior customer service and community engagement with a focus on youth and underserved communities. She is a career partner with Kitchens For Good, an organization whose apprenticeship program for those who have barriers to employment such as justice system involvement, a history of foster care, mental health or or substance abuse challenges, or unsheltered living, gives people a chance to become certified in the culinary arts. She is also a mentor at Promises to Kids, San Marcos Boys and Girls Clubs and serves on the boards of Fred Finch, Junior Achievement San Diego, and San Marcos Chamber of Commerce.
She ran 5 marathons while working as a personal fitness instructor and trainer for 30 years before exchanging her gym shoes for oven mitts. She and her husband Dustin have 3 sons, one who now works for Maya’s Cookies.
Maya thanks her sponsors Michael Brunker, Donna DeBerry and Valerie Attisha.
Retired – Cardiologist
David Ostrander is a retired cardiologist who practiced medicine at Sharp Rees Stealy Medical Group for the majority of his career. He was born in Detroit, MI, attended Yale University as an undergraduate, NYU for medical school, and then did his residency at the University of Chicago before starting his fellowship at U.C.S.D. He and his wife Elizabeth have been married since 1981, and they share a daughter.
David has served as a junior faculty member at UCSD, a member of the SRS Board of Management, he directed a cardiac cath lab, and was Chief of Staff at Sharp Memorial among many other accolades. Now that he is retired, he would like to be a part of efforts to address the structural and cultural causes that lead to homelessness in our community. He feels a deep sense of calling to help, and is convinced we must engage with those whom we disagree in a process he refers to as “Charitable Discourse” to work together to heal our world. During his self introduction he said that after 38 years of practice in the cardiology field, he would like to now give heart to those in need.
David thanks his sponsors RB Johnson, Judy Thompson and Tom Mosher.
