2022 Leadership Appreciation Brunch with Karen Bass

Liberty Hill Foundation’s Annual Leadership Appreciation Brunch has become LA’s favorite Fall gathering, where we recognize the outstanding impact of our Donor Activist community and discuss ways to achieve transformative change in Los Angeles.

This year, we welcomed guests to the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica for a wonderful morning spent reconnecting with our Liberty Hill community and exploring this year’s theme, “Charting a New Course for L.A.,” with guest speaker Los Angeles Mayor-elect Karen Bass.

The program opened with a special impromptu performance by longtime Liberty Hill supporter and music-legend, John Densmore. Guests then had the opportunity to hear directly from Mayor-elect Karen Bass about her aspirations for the future of youth, housing, and environmental justice in Los Angeles.

In her conversation with Liberty Hill President and CEO, Shane Murphy Goldsmith, Mayor-elect Bass shared the impact that Liberty Hill has had on the philanthropic community and the role that donor activists need to continue to play going into the future.

“Thanks to the work that Liberty Hill has done over the years to lead many efforts, in LA, we have good goals—my plan is to continue along that road to fulfill those goals.” She continued, “The philanthropy piece is going to be absolutely critical.”

Guests went on to share unique perspectives on how we, as a collective, can maximize the power of philanthropy and donor activism to create a more progressive and just L.A. for all.

Liberty Hill Board Member and Environmental Justice Giving Circle Donor Activist, Jon Christensen reflected, “[The] work that you suggested, I think that we can all do together as a community and as the home of progressive philanthropy in L.A.”

In a final question from Liberty Hill grantee and Executive Director of Social Justice Learning Institution, Derek Steele, the mayor-elect was asked, “How can we, as part of a larger piece of the puzzle, and from an equity standpoint, be part of the movement?” Bass replied by emphasizing the importance of the philanthropic community as “an organizing opportunity.”

To learn more about our work and how you can join our dynamic community of Liberty Hill Donor Activists, visit the Donor Activist section of our website.