Richard Vezina

Richard Vezina (he/him) is a senior program officer at Blue Shield of California Foundation, leading the Foundation's work to align systems with community priorities in order to make California the healthiest state and end domestic violence. 

Prior to joining Blue Shield of California Foundation, Richard was a vice president at Harder+Company Community Research, where he led evaluation and strategy engagements for foundations, nonprofits, and public agencies. He also led Harder+Company’s business development and communications efforts, and for a time co-led diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at the firm. Earlier, he worked in a range of roles — including research, fundraising, and frontline service provision — in the health field at organizations such as amfAR, the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, and Planned Parenthood. He currently serves on the board of directors for the nonprofit, Food Connect.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and an MPH in health and social behavior from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in San Francisco with his husband, daughter, and dog.

Email: richard.vezina [at] blueshieldcafoundation.org