Blue Shield of California Foundation names new chief program director, Lucia Corral Peña

Peña brings years of experience and leadership in philanthropy and domestic violence prevention, with a focus on serving people of color in communities with low incomes

SAN FRANCISCO (March 8, 2023) – Blue Shield of California Foundation announced today that Lucia Corral Peña has been promoted to the position of chief program director to oversee the overall strategy, design, and management of the Foundation’s programs.

“Lucia’s expertise in philanthropy and the communities we serve is crucial to our Foundation’s strategy to effect systems change by addressing the root causes of domestic violence and health inequity,” said Debbie I. Chang, MPH, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California Foundation. “Lucia has led our grantmaking to strengthen prevention and healing and in the multiple sectors where survivors and those at risk of domestic violence live, learn and work.”

Peña is a well-known and respected leader, and the architect of the Foundation’s domestic violence prevention strategy. She joined the Foundation 10 years ago, serving as a senior program officer overseeing the organization’s work and grantmaking focused on breaking the cycle of domestic violence. Beginning March 19, she will become the chief program director, an executive leadership position that reports to the CEO.

“Naming Lucia to this new role reinforces her contributions, and it is especially gratifying given our Foundation mission that our next chief program director will be a woman of color with deep roots in California,” said Chang.

During her time at the Foundation, Peña has led proactive and innovative projects to end domestic violence in California. She launched the Foundation’s Reimagine Lab initiative that brought together a diverse group of leaders from across California to apply human-centered design to domestic violence prevention with promising new solutions. She also created the Foundation’s Breaking the Cycle Two Generation cohort, a group of 12 organizations that are building evidence for community-level practices that achieve domestic violence prevention for whole families. Currently, she is orchestrating the Foundation’s investments in community-based solutions to domestic violence that go beyond the criminal justice system.

“I’m deeply honored to amplify my role at the Foundation and continue to serve Californians who are affected by domestic violence and health inequity,” said Peña. “We have such a strong and committed program team and overall Foundation staff. I look forward to building on our great work, partnering with grantees, and advancing policy and systems changes that increase our impact to support thriving communities and families of color in our state.”

Prior to her role at the Foundation, Peña was principal of Corral Peña Consulting, where her practice focused on creating opportunities for diverse and low-income communities to address the unmet needs of immigrants, agricultural workers, and women in California. She has contributed to national- and regional-level collaboratives on Latino leadership, reproductive justice, economic and housing justice, and civic engagement projects across Northern California and the Central Valley. She previously served as director of the Western Region for Hispanics in Philanthropy and as program director at The California Wellness Foundation.

Peña received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. She currently serves on the boards of Sisters of St. Joseph Health Care Foundation and Northern California Grantmakers and is a founding member of the California Gender Justice Funders Collaborative.

About Blue Shield of California Foundation

Blue Shield of California Foundation supports lasting and equitable solutions to make California the healthiest state and end domestic violence. When we work together to remove the barriers to health and well-being, especially for Californians most affected, we can create a more just and equitable future. For more information, visit blueshieldcafoundation.org, sign up for our newsletter Intersections, and please join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.