Celebrating Amy’s 5-Years with SJF
Today, we celebrate Amy’s 5-year anniversary with the St. Joseph Fund.
As Program Officer, Amy has shaped our work with vision, care, and a deep commitment to community. Her leadership has strengthened our partnerships, deepened our focus on healing, and helped move our mission forward in meaningful ways.
“When we were first reviewing applications for the Program Officer role, it quickly became clear that Amy was the person we needed. Her deep commitment to community has been an example to all of us. Through her innovative thinking — and especially her focus on healing — she has helped lead the foundation in a new and important direction.
Amy’s creativity, commitment, and heart are truly inspiring. She challenges all of us to do better and to pursue more authentic partnership with community. Beyond her expertise, she brings a presence that is both calm and thoughtful, while also energetic and courageous when advocating for others. There is no one like Amy, and I can’t imagine the St. Joseph Fund without her.” – Jason Lacsamana, Director, Programs and Partnerships
“Amy is deeply committed to social justice and to being a true partner to vulnerable communities. She is keenly aware of the challenges different groups face and always keeps the wellbeing of grantees at the center of her work.
She brings kindness, respect, and flexibility to every relationship, along with remarkable intelligence, perception, and intuition. Amy is also eloquent and thoughtful in how she leads and communicates, and her presence has made a lasting impact on our team and our partners.” – Alisa Barrios, Community Partner Specialist
“What I love about Amy is her sense of compassion for the community. She brings forward her lived experience, the pride she carries as a child of immigrants, and the tools from her formal education to help make change.
Amy has never given up on advocating for the poor. She has hope in our nonprofit partners and supports them because she believes in their work, their vision, and their approaches. She doesn’t go in with preconceived ideas about how something should be done. She is there to support, to walk with them, and then she brings that learning back to us.
Amy is a weaver. She is very much about relationship building and bringing different pieces together. She has a quiet presence, but there is a fire in her. She carries herself with peace and calm, while remaining deeply driven and passionate about community.
She is thoughtful, creative, and holistic in how she looks at issues. She listens, seeks to understand, and asks pointed, meaningful questions. She holds people accountable with care, and she builds trust in a way that helps people feel safe, heard, and supported.
Amy brings so many gifts to this work: her lived experience, her social work background, her commitment to community, her creativity, and her loving presence. She is consistent, compassionate, and deeply committed and she just doesn’t give up.” – Gabriela Robles, President and Chief Executive
Amy, thank you for five years of extraordinary leadership, compassion, and dedication. Your work reflects what it means to be Rooted in Love: walking alongside community, centering healing and justice, and helping build power for long-term change. Congratulations on this milestone. We are so grateful for all you bring to the Fund and to the communities we serve.
