Nicole Naffaa joined our Development team as Director of Development, starting March 1. In this role she will focus on the annual fund, manage a portfolio of donors, and work with alumnx and congregational partners as we seek to make PSR’s mission vibrant and accessible.
Nicole brings over 25 years of experience in education, non-profit administration, and ministry—including serving as Director of Recruitment and Admissions here at PSR. Passionate about PSR and the excellent resources and education we provide, Nicole is thrilled about the opportunity this new role will provide her to help raise the needed resources to sustain a thriving mission. Nicole began her career as a Campus Minister at Santa Clara University, where she accompanied young adults in their spiritual and personal journeys and led a peer ministry and leadership program. She first joined PSR in 2003 as the Director of Recruitment and Admissions and served in that role for 12 year. In this capacity, she had the opportunity to advance PSR’s mission by recruiting hundreds of talented, diverse, and engaged students to the PSR community. Most recently she was the Director of Course Enrollment at Mindful Schools, a non-profit committed to creating schools where all educators and students can thrive.
She will draw on her connections and familiarity with both PSR alumnx and our denominational partners and her comprehensive experience in project management, administration, and leadership. In addition, over the last five years in her role at Mindful Schools, she honed her skills in communicating with a variety of constituents and stakeholders and collaborated in developing and implementing strategic fundraising initiatives. With this background, she is well equipped to share PSR’s compelling story and articulate its important mission and impact in a way that engages our current and prospective donors, nurtures their spirit of generosity, and compels them to invest in the development of spiritually rooted leaders for social transformation.
Nicole received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of California, San Diego and her Master of Divinity at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a member at First Congregational Church of Berkeley. A native Californian, Nicole has called the Bay Area home for nearly 30 years. She has three sons and a new puppy who all keep her busy and happy in her spare time. She has a background in theater and is an improv comedy performer. She loves to act, hike, sing, play board games, spend time with her family, friends, and partner, prune her fruit trees, and watch great movies.
Please join me in welcoming Nicole back to our community!
President David Vásquez-Levy