Cory Karpin

Karpin leads efforts to establish partnerships with philanthropists, corporations, and grant-making organizations to improve outcomes and expand opportunities for more than two million students across California’s community colleges. 

FoundationCCC Highlights:

• Looks forward to building a comprehensive fundraising program that provides donors with opportunities to improve the lives of California community college students statewide
• Looks forward to partnering with philanthropists, corporations, and grant-making organizations to improve outcomes and support student success across California’s 116 community colleges

Karpin brings more than two decades of experience in higher education advancement and nonprofit leadership to FoundationCCC. He began his nonprofit career at SJFAZZ, where he managed corporate, foundation, and government relations, before becoming Executive Director of the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly. This role supported the 1,300-seat Christopher Cohan Center on the university’s campus.

Following his tenure as CEO of Woods Humane Society, Karpin returned to Cal Poly as Senior Director of Development for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and later served as the Center’s Interim Executive Director. Most recently, he served as Director of Development for cancer programs at UC San Francisco, where he partnered with donors to advance research and innovation in urology, genitourinary medical oncology, and thoracic oncology.

Karpin attended Santa Monica College and Santa Barbara City College before earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from UCSB and Antioch University. He credits his community college experience with instilling in him a love of learning and the confidence to continue his education.