LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Sept. 29, 2025) – The California Wellness Foundation is awarding sabbaticals to eight senior leaders who have devoted decades to improving the health of immigrants, refugees, young people, working-class families, survivors of domestic violence, and the diverse communities they serve. Honorees for the Be Well, Lead Well sabbatical program were chosen from 140 applicants at nonprofits across the state advancing health and wellness in communities that historically have had less access to resources. The sabbaticals provide funds for leaders to rest, reflect and recharge, and to support their staff while they are away.
“The risk of burnout has always been high for mission-driven nonprofit leaders who serve communities they know and love,” said Richard Tate, Cal Wellness’ president and CEO. “In today’s environment, the risk is even greater. Rest is not a luxury, even in urgent times. It’s an essential investment in the long-term work of creating a California where all of us can be well.”
The sabbatical honorees are:
- Dilkhwaz Ahmed, executive director, License to Freedom, El Cajon.
- Maribel Cruz, associate director, Organizing Rooted in Abolition, Liberation, and Empowerment (ÓRALE), Long Beach.
- George Galvis, executive director, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, Oakland.
- Luis Granados, CEO, Mission Economic Development Agency, San Francisco.
- Daisy Lopez, senior director of program services, California Health Collaborative, Fresno.
- Nayamin Martinez, executive director, Central California Environmental Justice Network, Fresno.
- Romina Papa-Peralta, director of finance and administration, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, Inc., Garden Grove.
- Zerihoun Yilma, managing director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Los Angeles.
Each of these honorees’ organizations receives a grant of $60,000 for a personalized period of rest and recovery for the leader. Cal Wellness does not have specific requirements for how the honorees should use the time, but honorees have shared that they expect to use the sabbatical in 2026 to reconnect with family members in a deeper way, travel to other countries that may offer alternative models for supporting communities, and participate in leadership or wellness retreats. The grant also includes funds to keep the organizations strong during a leader’s absence. The honorees have identified next-generation leaders, coaches to support them, and staff development opportunities.
“We are so excited to care for people who have spent so much of their lives caring for others,” said Jenny Wright, Cal Wellness’ senior program officer who leads the development of the Be Well, Lead Well program for Cal Wellness. “They are modeling thoughtful, sustainable leadership and helping others in their movements grow. We are going to need fresh ideas and energy for the work ahead.”
Be Well, Lead Well is part of a broader Cal Wellness campaign known as Wellness Together, which aims to build resilience in California nonprofits that create opportunities for everyone to improve their health. The campaign also includes virtual and in-person events where participants can learn restorative practices that they can weave into their daily lives.
Be Well, Lead Well, which expects to reopen applications next year for another cohort, builds upon a previous Cal Wellness sabbatical program last offered in 2018. The new program, co-designed with previous sabbatical honorees and AWA Consults, provided more technical assistance leading up to the application, added flexibility for centering the leader, and expanded the applicant pool to senior leaders beyond executive directors.
“We took special care to ensure that the program structure closely mirrored the needs of leaders working against the grain to advance equity,” said Amelia Williamson, founder of AWA Consults, which is also helping to launch the program. “We are honored to help leaders gain transformative rest so that they can return to their mission with renewed perspective and purpose, and lead the kind of crucial impact that benefits communities all across California.”
Contact: Jon Koriel, Bryson Gillette