At its September 26 meeting, the Ventura College Foundation board of directors named Anne Paul King executive director of the foundation. King had been interim executive since July 2017 when she assumed the post vacated by Norbert Tan. King previously served as the foundation’s director of development.
“There are no words to describe how incredible of a leader Anne is,” says Rob van Nieuwburg, Ventura College Foundation board chair. “She’s committed, determined, focused and everything about her comes from the heart. Anne’s nonprofit knowledge and instincts set her apart from so many nonprofit leaders. We are so lucky to have her.”
King’s duties are to oversee the foundation’s $2.7 million annual budget, especially to build a solid donor base to increase for support student scholarships, academic program enhancements, equipment and other needs that build student success. The Ventura College Foundation is in its 12th year of its VC Promise program, which pays for the tuition costs of first year students at the college.
The need for foundation support is vital. Seventy percent of Ventura College’s 13,000 students live under the poverty line, 40 percent are the first in their families to go to college, 30 percent are food insecure and 18 percent are housing insecure. Many students hold multiple jobs.
“I am so proud to serve Ventura College students, many of whom face daunting daily challenges and still have the determination to attend school, so they can improve their lives and those of their families,” says King. “Through the VC Foundation and its donors, students have increased access to a Ventura College education, textbook lending programs, scholarships and grants. It’s our goal to remove the financial barriers that so many of our students experience.”
King, a Thousand Oaks resident, has 24 years of development experience in the nonprofit industry including local work to help found the Conejo School Foundation for the Conejo Valley Unified School District, and national experience as the director of affiliate advancement for Volunteers of America in the Washington D.C. area. Ventura College is the third institution of higher education that King has supported professionally.
