Karen Strolia, who led the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce to a statewide "Chamber of the Year" honor last month, will leave the organization in August to become chief executive of the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership.
CVNL, headquartered in San Rafael, has trained and advised nonprofit leaders across the North Bay for 62 years. The organization mobilized more than 1,800 volunteers across 350-plus organizations in the past year and hosts the annual Heart of Marin Awards at the Marin Civic Center, which recognized 92 nonprofits, leaders and volunteers at its 33rd ceremony on Thursday, January 8. Strolia will succeed Linda Jacobs, who is retiring after 25 years at the helm.
"My personal mission is to take care of humans. Full stop," Strolia said in an interview reported by the Marin Independent Journal on Friday, July 11. "CVNL is the perfect place for me to do just that, and I'm honored to be offered the opportunity."
The appointment caps a three-year run at the chamber during which Strolia pushed an advocacy agenda focused on economic resiliency, workforce housing and local control. The California Chamber of Commerce presented San Rafael's chapter with its top award June 10 at the California Business Outlook Dinner in Sacramento, choosing it from among chambers statewide.
Strolia's roots in San Rafael's nonprofit world run deep. Before joining the chamber, she served as chief operations officer of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin and helped lead the Downtown Streets Team program, which assists people experiencing homelessness. She is also a graduate of CVNL's own leadership class, a program she credited with inspiring her to earn an MBA from UC Berkeley.
CVNL board chair Luana Vaetoe said Strolia brings "a unique combination of nonprofit, business and community leadership experience, along with a deep understanding of the North Bay communities we serve." The board selected her after an executive search led by the Santa Rosa firm Potrero Group.
Jacobs, the outgoing CEO, said she hoped to leave the organization in capable hands. She and Strolia both pointed to challenges facing nonprofits, including uncertainty over federal funding and staff burnout.
Strolia said she sees opportunities to bring local philanthropy and private-public partnerships to help nonprofits navigate the current funding environment. She also signaled plans to deepen CVNL's programming in Sonoma, Solano and Napa counties, where the organization already maintains offices.
The San Rafael Chamber has not announced a successor. Strolia's exact start date at CVNL has not been confirmed beyond August 2026.
Upcoming
- August 2026: Karen Strolia begins as CVNL chief executive, 1 McInnis Pkwy, Suite 175, San Rafael.
