Meet Camelback Ventures' Vice President of Development: Cathy Yi
We are thrilled to introduce our first-ever Vice President of Development - Cathy Yi. Having joined the Camelback Crew in May 2023, Cathy brings with her more than 20 years of experience leading international, national, and community-based organizations focused on economic development, conservation, and social services. She is also an avid reader, masterful cook (especially desserts!), and enjoys the great outdoors. Join us in getting to know Cathy in this Camelback Staff Feature.
In a past role, I had unique opportunities to travel extensively throughout Asia, including camping in the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia with villagers leading efforts to reduce illegal wildlife trade and participating in a summer festival on the Tibetan Plateau that included yak racing and witnessing community-led conservation practices for managing sacred natural areas. While those activities were amazing, the highlight of my role was working with exceptional local and indigenous leaders protecting imperiled wildlife and wildlands. It also solidified my understanding that effective change requires investing in proximate leaders who have the experiences, relationships, and knowledge for developing solutions with and for their communities.
Joy for a fundraiser is taking money and elevating it to its highest purpose which is doing good in the world. I joined Camelback because I believe in our work and the impact that it has on ensuring a just, equitable, and thriving community for everyone, everywhere. These results start with investing in BIPOC and female founders and their ventures and includes advocating for fairness in their funding.
There are three thing that I think makes us an effective organization:
We have a clear and important organizational “why” from our founding narrative to current strategic goals, and a track record of success in addressing entrepreneurial ecosystem gaps in supporting BIPOC entrepreneurs. In addition, we have evidence of our quantitative and qualitative impact.
We have a deep commitment to underestimated entrepreneurs and the communities they serve that drives what we do and how we do it, starting with building strong and trusted relationships with our stakeholders.
We have a holistic approach that focuses on systems change and changing narratives and behavior by implementing programs and advocating for fairness in funding as both a funder and with other funders.
My favorite part about working at Camelback is the people—all the people I have the privilege to build relationships with from colleagues, Fellows, collaboration partners, and supporters. We each have our own unique histories, experiences, beliefs, and roles but we’re connected by a shared vision and commitment towards creating livable communities and wealth for future generations to inherit.
Since joining Camelback in May, my initial focus has been on getting to know our staff, Fellows, and supporters and understanding our work by participating in our programs. I joined the opening week for our Fellowship and Capital Collaborative programs, participated in the Fellowship applicant selection process, and joined the Guardian Summit in New Orleans. These experiences provided me with unique insights and allowed me to implement new strategies and ideas that are helping to diversify our funding and increase our network of supporters.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African Proverb
Find out more about all of the Camelback Ventures Crew by clicking below: