Steve Bean

Background

About Steve Bean

I'm an executive-level, non-profit leader with 30+ years of experience in creating initiatives and engaging in social entrepreneurship in partnership with vulnerable communities - work aimed at helping those communities eliminate inequities and find ways to thrive. My most recent work has been as Deputy Executive Director and Founder Emeritus at Digital NEST - a job training program, community technology center and social enterprise that partnered with Latinx communities in agricultural regions of California to increase the prosperity of families in those communities. In my role was a key driver of the meteoric growth that took the NEST from a $350k annual budget to $5.5 million and from one to three centers in 6 short years. This success was widely recognized- The Silicon Valley Business Journal gave Digital NEST its Community Impact Award in 2019- The United Way of Santa Cruz named Digital NEST its 2019 Partner Organization of the Year- The Silicon Valley & San Francisco Business Journals named Digital NEST one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s best places to work in both 2020 and 2021 - Digital NEST was selected in 2018 for the portfolio of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a prestigious venture philanthropy fund supporting high-impact social enterprises. I've designed and tested more than a dozen original initiatives and programs. Many of these have been recognized as best practices or received awards but what I am most proud of is how this work has helped thousands of youth and adults from vulnerable communities find more success and well-being in their lives. In the pursuit of this end I'm proud to have facilitated the formation of many partnerships among exceptional organizations and consider the creation of such collaborations and the engagement of key stakeholders to be a distinguishing scharacteristic of my leadership. I've raised an estimated $23-$25 million (in 2021 dollars) in funds for organizations and programs I've served, most of it by leading teams in the development of competitive grant proposals to private philanthropic organizations, corporate social responsibility initiatives and federal and state funding sources. Another thing I'm extremely proud of is the more than a dozen young female professionals and professionals-of-color whom I've supervised and mentored over the last 2 1/2 decades. These fantastic, talented individuals have grown to become seasoned professionals, innovators and major talents and I am honored and humbled that these incredible people regard my mentorship as significant to their success.