Tatiana Hernandez will take the helm of the Community Foundation Boulder County on July 6. Hernandez’s hiring was announced this week. She will succeed Jeff Hirota, who is retiring June 30 after 3 ½ years with the foundation, according to a blog post at commfound.org.
“The search committee has worked since January to identify someone who would passionately carry forward the foundation’s strategic plan and our vision and values,” Sue Anderson, chair of the foundation’s Board of Trustees and co-chair of the search committee, stated in the post. “We unanimously selected Tatiana Hernandez who brings experience both in Boulder County and with national funders. She is committed to building strong communities, engaging everyone in philanthropy, and furthering equity in our community. Our board is looking forward to working with her in service to Boulder County.”
Hernandez is coming to the foundation from her role as president of the Emily Griffith Foundation, where she is responsible for raising funds to support the students and programs of Emily Griffith Technical College, according to the blog post. Her other past experience includes: senior program officer at the Kresge Foundation; and arts director for the Hemera Foundation where — in partnership with the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and Colorado Creative Industries — she developed Arts in Society, Colorado’s largest private-public funding program for the arts, according to the post.
She began her philanthropic career at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, where she led the Knight Arts Challenge, supporting artists and arts organizations in eight cities, overseeing a portfolio of more than $100 million in investments and distributed $10 million annually, according to the Community Foundation.
Prior to philanthropy, Hernandez worked in the nonprofit sector on issues ranging from college access to climate change, the blog post states. Originally from Miami and a native Spanish speaker, she has “served on a variety of boards, including Grantmakers in the Arts. Locally, she serves as the co-chair for the Community Arts, Culture, Transformation and Science Fund Committee and was named a 40 Under 40 honoree by the Denver Business Journal,” according to the Community Foundation.
“I'm deeply honored by this opportunity to serve Boulder County's residents,” Herndandez stated in the blog post. “Thanks to Jeff's stellar leadership, this remarkable group of staff, board, donors, and partners are powerfully working to support our community's most vulnerable. Equity has been a core value of my career and I look forward to continuing to advance the foundation's mission for many years to come."
