Pat Callahan Joins CCST as Major Gifts Officer

A seasoned professional in the development and nonprofit community, Pat Callahan has joined the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) as its Major Gifts Officer.

Callahan has more than 25 years of experience in fundraising, specializing in major gifts and establishing funding partnerships. She was most recently the Executive Director of the Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County, and she has served as the National Director of Development & Marketing for Canine Companions for Independence, Director of Major Gifts for the American Diabetes Association, and Director of Distinguished Gifts for the American Cancer Society.

“What I enjoy the most about my work is the conversation. I love sitting down with someone who genuinely wants to make a difference in the world or their community, and line up what they want to accomplish with what our organization is poised to do,” says Callahan, whose career in fundraising began at University of California, Irvine. “That sweet spot where their passion and our capacity aligns, and we can go do something together? That’s a very, very cool moment.”

Callahan holds a BS in Psychology from UC Irvine, and completed graduate credits in Physiological Psychology at CSU Long Beach. Joining CCST was a perfect fit to unite her interests in science with her love of major gift fundraising, she says.

“I believe in the CCST mission of making California’s policies stronger with science,” says Callahan.
“So much of California’s enterprising spirit and global influence is rooted in science. We embrace aerospace, tech, and agriculture. We love our coastline and our desert, and our ski season and our wine country. We’re this beautifully complicated business, civic, and natural ecosystem, so it’s important to harness the impartial data and scientific expertise to guide our public policies and investments.”

Callahan will split time between CCST headquarters in Downtown Sacramento and her Healdsburg office, and is already traveling around the state to connect with funders and partners.

“It doesn’t matter if a gift is small or big,” Callahan says, with an impassioned gleam in her eyes. “The heart behind the gift — regardless of where the decimal point is — is the same. It’s someone who believes in California, and it’s someone wanting to help.”

Pat Callahan can be reached at [email protected] and (916) 407-6510.

The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) is a nonpartisan, impartial, not-for-profit corporation established via California State Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR 162) in 1988. CCST engages leading experts in science and technology to advise State policymakers — ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation. Learn more at www.ccst.us.