Carlsbad Ed Foundation hires new chief

By: PHILIP K. IRELAND - Staff Writer | Wednesday, January 30, 2008 10:54 PM PST ∞

CARLSBAD -- The Carlsbad Education Foundation has hired a new chief to lead the fundraising organization that funnels money to Carlsbad schools.

Valin Brown, 33, will begin work as chief executive officer with the nonprofit on Feb. 11, said Julie Baker, president of the foundation board. The terms of his contract are private, Baker said.

"He's enthusiastic, very smart, and brings an interesting mix of skill sets -- he'll be a real asset," Baker said.

Reached by telephone Wednesday, Brown said he and his fiance will move to San Diego this weekend from Colorado, where he has served as chief executive officer of Colorado Bright Beginnings, the state's largest nonprofit parenting program.

Brown replaces former Executive Director Diana Aaron, who left last August to raise funds for Vista's Moonlight Amphitheatre and Avo Playhouse.

As the foundation's chief, Brown will oversee day-to-day operations, including the Kids' Care program that provides before- and after-school care for students in all nine elementary schools in Carlsbad Unified School District. Brown will also work with the board to set long-term goals.

Brown said he was attracted to the job by his longtime commitment to education and what he described as excellent opportunities for growing the foundation's fundraising programs.

"There's a nice synchronicity between the board's hopes for the future and what I can bring to help them," Brown said.

Brown said he will bring experience and expertise in staff management, financial management, fundraising and long-term strategic planning to the foundation.

Brown's hiring comes at a crucial time as school officials in the Carlsbad Unified School District begin to deal with a projected $4.5 million shortfall in anticipated income for the 2008-09 school year. The district announced a three-pronged approach last week for dealing with the looming fiscal crisis that includes a push to raise private money to supplant the shortfall.

Aware of the crisis, Brown said he will hit the ground running in Carlsbad.

"There are lots of things in motion that will require immediate collaboration and fundraising," Brown said.

Brown earned dual bachelor's degrees from Northwestern University in cultural anthropology and philosophy. He also earned a master's degree from Northwestern in cultural anthropology, he said.

He said he enjoys hiking, writing and snowboarding, and would like to learn to surf.

The foundation has provided more than $3 million to the district since its founding in 1983. The foundation created the Kids Are Worth A Million program in 1997 to fund technology needs in the school district. The program reached its goal to raise $1 million in 2001, and now provides money for teacher grants.

The foundation raises money through a combination of corporate and individual donations, four annual fundraisers and the Kids' Care program.

The foundation's premier fundraiser, the Kids Are Worth A Million Telethon is scheduled for March 28. The telethon netted $82,000 in 2006.

Other fundraisers include the Taste of Carlsbad, the Carlsbad Golf Classic tournament and Community Day at Legoland. Collectively, those events raised almost $150,000 in 2006.

But most of the foundation's proceeds come from the Kids' Care before- and after-school program that was created by the group in 2004.

In 2006, the program employed 43 instructors in eight elementary schools and donated more than $500,000 to the Carlsbad Unified School District.

-- Contact Philip K. Ireland at (760) 901-4043 pireland@nctimes.com.

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