Julia Lopez

A widely respected leader with broad and deep experience in philanthropy and government, Julia I. Lopez served as the president and CEO of College Futures Foundation from 2008 until her retirement in June 2017.

Before joining College Futures Foundation, Ms. Lopez served as senior vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation. In that leadership role, she provided oversight, management and evaluation of the foundation's strategic program grant making around the world. In her earlier work for Rockefeller, she served as director of the foundation’s Working Communities program, addressing urban poverty and education in the United States. Prior to her career in philanthropy, Ms. Lopez held a number of senior roles in state and local government, including the General Manager of the San Francisco Department of Social Services and Chief consultant in the California Legislature.

Since retirement, Ms. Lopez serves as a trustee of The Christensen Fund, a private foundation dedicated to supporting global Indigenous Peoples in their efforts to advance rights and opportunities of stewards of biocultural diversity.  She is also a board member of KQED, a Northern California public media outlet; The Bridgespan Group, consultants who work with nonprofits, donors and investors to advance learning and accelerate impact of their work and philanthropy; and two organizations, California Competes and One Future Coachella Valley, dedicated to improving educational outcomes to meet state and regional economic development workforce needs.

She is a graduate of Newton College of the Sacred Heart (now Boston College) and holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. In June 2018, California State University, San Bernardino awarded her an honorary doctorate in humane letters in recognition of her work on student success in underserved communities, especially the Inland Empire.