Aug 24, 2026
SAN DIEGO (August 24, 2026) – Amplified Impact Partners announced the addition of seven new Partner consultants, further expanding the diverse range of expertise available to San Diego nonprofits through the organization's pro bono consulting model. The announcement comes as Amplified kicks off its 25th anniversary year, continuing to build on a quarter century of supporting the region's nonprofit sector while strengthening its commitment to the high-quality consulting the organization has become known for.
The seven new Partners bring remarkably varied backgrounds to Amplified's community, including technology and operations leadership forged at globally renowned organizations, behavioral health and education expertise spanning community health and child safety, executive coaching and leadership development at the highest levels, and decades of nonprofit and media executive experience across public broadcasting, philanthropy, and social enterprise.
Together, the new Partners will strengthen the professional depth and perspective that Amplified consulting teams bring to nonprofits across the region.
"Few things inspire me more than seeing talented people choose to put their experience to work in service of nonprofits across our region," said Erica Halpern, CEO of Amplified Impact Partners. "Each of our Partners brings deep, hard-won expertise and a genuine commitment to strengthening our community. Their willingness to invest their time and talent will help us carry this work forward into our next 25 years."
Amplified recently experienced its most impactful year to date, with more than 60 nonprofit consulting teams active across the region in 2025. As the organization enters its milestone anniversary year, the addition of this new cohort will help sustain that momentum at a time when demand for nonprofit support remains high.
The newest Partners joining Amplified Impact Partners are:
Amplified's pro bono engagements are made possible by this growing community of Partners — highly experienced professionals who invest both financially and through hands-on consulting to support nonprofits across sectors and communities throughout San Diego County.
Nonprofits interested in future engagements can learn more about eligibility at: www.amplified.org/apply
Individuals interested in becoming a Partner can explore opportunities to get involved at: www.amplified.org/join
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About Amplified Impact Partners
Amplified Impact Partners is a San Diego–based 501(c)(3) that strengthens nonprofits through high-impact, pro bono consulting. Amplified recruits and supports teams of experienced Partner consultants who work side-by-side with nonprofit leaders in a trust-based, collaborative model focused on long-term sustainability. By mobilizing professional expertise in service of community organizations, Amplified helps nonprofits navigate critical decisions, strengthen operations, and expand their impact.
About the Partners
Noemi Dueñas is a bilingual and bicultural behavioral health professional, organizational wellness consultant, educator, speaker, and community leader with more than 20 years of experience across injury prevention, family support, behavioral health, and civic engagement. She serves as Community Programs Director and Child Passenger Safety Program Director at Pacific Safety Center, where she leads grant-supported safety initiatives, program development, and culturally responsive education, and also works in Professional Education Services at Rady Children's Hospital–San Diego. A nationally recognized Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor, Noemi serves as Steering Committee Vice-Chair of the California Department of Public Health Office of Binational Border Health Advisory Group and leads the Mental Health Working Group within a San Diego County binational health consortium. She holds an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from National University and completed leadership training through MANA de San Diego and HOPE.
Michael Flaster spent 30 years as a media producer and programmer, including as Associate General Manager for KPBS Radio and Television. As a consultant, he advised institutions including National Public Radio, the broadcasting system of the Republic of Moldova, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and taught in the Communication Departments of San Diego State University and Kent State University. In 1995, Flaster was named Public Television's Programmer of the Year, and his work has been honored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the San Diego Press Club, and the American Bar Association. He is the author of four U.S. and five international patents, and has served in nonprofit leadership roles including President of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture and Board President of the San Diego Visual Arts Foundation.
Lenette Posada Howard brings more than three decades of experience building, scaling, and transforming organizations at the intersection of technology, people, and impact. She was part of the founding executive team at Niantic, where she helped lead the company's spinout from Google and scale the organization from approximately 35 employees to more than 1,000 globally during the growth of Pokémon GO. Her leadership has spanned operations, organizational strategy, and mergers and acquisitions, with earlier roles at Google and other technology organizations. Howard serves on the Board of Directors of Feeding San Diego, was recently appointed to the University of Notre Dame College of Engineering Advisory Council, and is active with the Mexican American Educational Guidance Association.
Tony Loren is a senior management and development executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with a proven track record in business development, strategic planning, fiscal management, and revenue growth. Loren has held executive management roles for organizations including United Cerebral Palsy, Doheny Eye Institute, The Heart Foundation, and KCET PBS Television, and has consulted for dozens of clients nationwide, including Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, and the Human Rights Campaign. He earned a bachelor's degree from Loyola Marymount University and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from California State University, Northridge.
Dr. Cristina Padilla is a leadership development executive, executive coach, educator, and facilitator with more than a decade of experience helping leaders and organizations strengthen leadership capability, navigate change, and build more effective organizations. She has designed and led leadership initiatives across the corporate, nonprofit, government, and higher education sectors, and has held leadership roles with Fluence, The Nebo Company, ExecOnline, and San Diego State University's Academy for Professional Excellence. Padilla is a faculty facilitator with the Center for Creative Leadership and an Associate Professor at National University, and co-chairs the MANA de San Diego Leadership Programs Steering Committee. She holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego.
Nikki Phair is an operations leader with more than 15 years of experience helping organizations strengthen organizational effectiveness. As Director of Operations at Prebys Foundation, she partners with executive leadership to build the governance, systems, and organizational infrastructure that enable mission-driven work to thrive, spanning enterprise operations, technology, human resources, compliance, and risk management. Previously, as Chief Administrative Officer for a multi-entity real estate organization, she led cross-functional operations supporting growth and business strategy. Phair earned an MBA from UCLA and co-launched a local San Diego Operations Leaders Network to foster collaboration across the nonprofit operations community.
Dr. Jenny Woo is the founder and CEO of Mind Brain Emotion, a Harvard Innovation Labs–incubated company that creates award-winning card games and mental health tools used in more than 50 countries. A Harvard-trained educator and emotional intelligence researcher, she created the bestselling games 52 Essential Conversations and 52 Essential Coping Skills, and teaches emotional intelligence at UC Irvine, where she designed the Emotional Intelligence Certificate Program. Her earlier career spans human capital consulting at Deloitte, executive coaching at Cisco, MBA career coaching at UC Berkeley, and Montessori school leadership. Dr. Woo serves on the board of Horizons San Diego and holds a Ph.D. in Education from UC Irvine.