Elissa Burke
Elissa strives for her every day actions to be mindful, thoughtful, and supportive. Inspired by the natural world, Elissa believes in the interconnectedness of all beings. With a decade of experience at a small nonprofit, Elissa knows what it's like to be on the other side of the funding relationship, and she brings this critical experience to her daily work at Libra. She leads with empathy, curiosity, and a genuine desire to grow and learn from others with different life experiences.
“I appreciate contributing to a philanthropic community that’s aiming to build a more peaceful and fair world, a world where all human beings are inherently deserving and honored,” says Elissa. In her role as operations manager, Elissa is responsible for the smooth functioning of Libra’s internal systems and providing executive support, and she manages Libra’s community hub and workspace – ensuring visiting organizations’ gatherings and all public events are successful.
Elissa brings years of both nonprofit and corporate experience to the foundation. For the past decade (first in administration, later as development director) Elissa served Bread & Roses – a Marin County nonprofit dedicated to using performing arts to fulfill its human services mission. She also served 5+ years as corporate administrative manager at The Egoscue Method in San Diego, running operations, providing executive assistance to its leadership team, and played a key role in Egoscue’s corporate expansion. Prior to Egoscue, Elissa worked for several years as an administrative manager for the San Diego management and HR consulting firm Davidson Consulting.
Born and raised in Vermont where her love of nature and the environment was fostered, she has spent many years as both a Southern California and now Bay Area resident. Outside of work, Elissa volunteers with organizations that are rooted in the things she’s most passionate about: nature and wildlife; organic, regenerative and sustainable farming and food systems; and live music. On any given weekend, she’s on a road trip, trying to get lost in the beautiful and diverse northern California landscape.
