SANTA FE – Today the Thornburg Foundation announced that Natasha Chin has joined its staff as Executive Assistant to the President. Chin brings nearly two decades of experience supporting executives and boards in higher education and philanthropy.
Chin comes to the Thornburg Foundation after more than eight years at St. John’s College, most recently as Executive Assistant to the President and Office Manager. As board liaison to 34 trustees, she produced three board meetings a year across the college’s campuses in Santa Fe and Annapolis, Maryland. The role also called for writing talking points and correspondence on the president’s behalf and managing the budgets for his office and the board. Her event work included a presidential inauguration and the college’s first hybrid Commencement during the pandemic.
Before St. John’s, Chin spent nearly seven years at Cottage Health in Santa Barbara, California, supporting its Vice President for Advancement and fundraising team. She managed quarterly Advancement Committee meetings and produced the annual Alice Keck Park Society dinner, which honors donors who have given $1 million or more.
“Natasha has spent her career helping executives and boards do their best work,” said Allan Oliver, President of the Thornburg Foundation. “She has deep experience working with trustees, a talent for producing events that bring people together, and will help the Foundation’s leadership connect more with grantees and partners.”
In her new role, Chin will manage Oliver’s office, coordinate the Foundation’s board meetings, and help plan Foundation events. Her work will give Oliver and the Foundation’s staff more time to spend with grantees and partners across New Mexico. She will also make sure board members have the materials they need for informed grant decisions.
“I’m honored to join a foundation that invests so deeply in New Mexico,” said Chin. “I look forward to supporting Allan, the board, and my new colleagues in work that makes a real difference across the state.”
Chin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. She also earned a Meeting and Events Planning Certificate from San Diego State University.
###
Founded in 1999, Thornburg Foundation is a family foundation based in Santa Fe that seeks to advance systems change that serves the public good. The Foundation uses an evidence-based strategic approach to make grants to nonprofits focused on K-12 Education, Water, Land, Pursuing Public Funds, Housing, and Homelessness. For more information on Thornburg Foundation’s grantmaking, visit thornburgfoundation.org.