DESERT CHARITIES NEWS SPOTLIGHT MEN IN PHILANTHROPY - PAGE 4 JEFF PETROVIC The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens Chief Development Officer Making A Di erence As Chief Development Ocer at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, I connect people who care deeply about wildlife with opportunities to make a lasting impact. My work focuses on donor relationship management, exceptional service, and developing new markets for our Pride of the Desert Capital Campaign. By creating personal connections between our donors, the Zoo, and our desert plants and animals, I help inspire giving that advances animal care, global desert conservation, and engaging experiences for guests of all ages. It’s an honor to serve the Coachella Valley alongside a fundraising community committed to making a dierence. DREW MOSER Lucky Duck Foundation CEO Making A Di erence Our mission is to prevent and alleviate the suering of homelessness throughout San Diego County. We fund, activate and lead programs designed to have a high and immediate impact with a particular emphasis on helping youth and seniors. This includes 25 employment and job training programs benefiting 2,000+ people; a Food & Water outreach initiative that has provided 2,100,000+ meals to unsheltered San Diegans; the distribution of more than 21,000 weatherproof winter coats that transform into sleeping bags; bridge shelters which sleep more than 300 individuals nightly, and much more. And our co-founders match all donations up to $1.5 million per year. DAN ROSSI Greater Palm Springs Animal Allies Executive Director Making A Di erence Dan Rossi relocated to Palm Springs Ca. in February of 2022 to lead the Greater Palm Springs Animal Allies, the nonprofit that operates the Palm Springs Animal Shelter, only municipal open admission shelter using a no kill philosophy here in the Coachella Valley. Under his leadership the organization has completed two major service expansions which includes the opening of the Desert Wildlife Center that rehabilitates injured wildlife. Dan also opened the Desert Community Animal Center in Desert Hot Springs, which provides low cost veterinary care including wellness, vaccines, and spay/neuter. MICHAEL PHIPPS-RUSSELL Loving All Animals President / Executive Director Making A Di erence Our organization is creating lasting change by tackling the root causes of animal euthanasia. Through the opening of our veterinary clinic emphasizing spaying and neutering, we will reduce shelter intake and prevent thousands of unwanted litters, easing the burden on local communities. We coordinate treatment programs that restore health to animals, leading to sterilization and adoption into permanent homes. By bringing in-out-of-state veterinarians to eliminate medical backlogs at the county shelter, we ensure timely care. These combined eorts directly lower euthanasia rates and create sustainable pathways for animals to survive and thrive. CHRIS KISER Chris Kiser brings Midwestern integrity and personal passion to his role as DAP Health’s chief philanthropy ocer. Born and raised in Muscatine, Iowa, in a family of educators, Kiser quickly learned the value of hard work — starting as an early-morning paperboy at age 11 — and the transformative power of opportunity. After earning degrees in history and educational administration, he began his career raising scholarships for first-generation college students before pivoting to health care philanthropy, a move inspired by his younger brother’s decades-long fight against kidney disease, which benefited from modern medicine interventions he received at the cutting-edge hospitals and clinics of the University of Iowa. Kiser’s experience spans rural Wyoming to Colorado’s Banner Health and South Lake Tahoe’s Barton Health Foundation, where he led crisis-response campaigns during COVID-19 and devastating wildfires, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for relief. These hands-on e orts reinforced his belief that humanitarian giving saves lives and strengthens communities. At DAP Health, Kiser sees a unique opportunity. “We honor the past while boldly shaping the future,” he says. His donor-centered philosophy focuses on listening — connecting interests with purpose to drive impact. With solid expertise and a stellar board of directors behind him, his priorities include growing major gifts, planned giving, and endowments to ensure equitable, innovative care for the diverse communities his nonprofit serves from the desert to the San Diego coast. “Philanthropy plays a huge role in health care,” Kiser emphasizes. “Especially in this political climate. Individuals can make a profound di erence.” O the clock, Kiser is an avid tennis player, skier, cyclist, and fly-fisherman — always casting for ways generosity can keep community care thriving. Chris Kiser Chief Philanthropy Ocer DAP Health 760.262.7803 ckiser@daphealth.org daphealth.orgg JEFFREY NORMAN Palm Springs Public Library Foundation Co-Chair/Foundation Board Member Making A Di erence After a forty-plus-year career in nonprofit arts, I am semi-retired with my own small communications and fundraising consultancy, JN Communications. A strong believer in paying it forward, I am now privileged to serve on local nonprofit boards, including as co-chair of A New Chapter, the capital campaign to restore and renovate the historic Palm Springs Public Library. A beloved community resource, the Library serves thousands each year and deserves thoughtful restoration. It is a profound honor to share my passion for this once-in-a-generation project with the generous Coachella Valley donor community. SCOTT ROBINSON Boys & Girls Club of Cathedral City Chief Executive Officer Making A Di erence We change lives for the better within our youth members and adult volunteers. There are a few truths that we follow to make a positive impact shared with us by colleague, author, and friend Ed Mishrell 1) Be Fanatical about the Mission. This is one of our strong points as we create “Great Futures” for all people. 2) Create strong systems and people and replace systems and people who are not working. Surround yourself with good people! 3) Help people operate in their areas of strength. 4) Operate with patience, grace, and with gratitude.
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