Staff
Brenda Solórzano
Chief Program Director & Director, Health Care and Coverage
brenda.solorzano@blueshieldcafoundation.org
Brenda Solórzano serves as chief program director and director of the Health Care and Coverage program area. As chief program director, Ms. Solorzano leads the overall strategy, design, and management of the Foundation's entire grantmaking process. Responsibilities include leading Foundation grantmaking, working with program areas to develop strategies and work plans, and overseeing grantee relations and program evaluations. In her role as director of the Health Care and Coverage program, Ms. Solórzano is responsible for directing the strategy and management of the Health Care and Coverage program. Responsibilities include developing grantmaking strategy, managing the proposal review process, building support for policies seeking to address the issue of the uninsured, maintaining relationships with grantees, applicants and key stakeholders, and providing fiscal oversight for the program.
Prior to her role at Blue Shield of California Foundation, Ms. Solórzano served as a program officer at the California Endowment and the California Health Care Foundation. At The California Endowment, Ms. Solórzano conducted outreach to organizations, reviewed health-related grant proposals from community-based organizations, and helped develop programs to assist underserved communities in the San Francisco Bay Area counties. At the California Health Care Foundation, Ms. Solórzano managed the activities of the foundation's Quality Initiative, which focused on providing grants to consumer advocacy and patient organizations.
Outside philanthropy, Ms. Solórzano's experience includes serving as a senior policy analyst for the California Medical Association (CMA) and as project coordinator for the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. Her responsibilities at CMA included directing regulatory and public policy issues for the CMA on government health programs, public health, and maternal and child health issues. At the Latino Coalition, Ms. Solórzano coordinated three statewide health policy projects involving community organizing, legislative advocacy, and public policy development.
Ms. Solórzano, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from the University of San Francisco and her Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School. Ms. Solórzano is a member of the California State Bar.
