Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest is thrilled to welcome Kea Spurrier as our new Chief Development Officer (CDO). Kea brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Planned Parenthood, and a dedication to ensuring our communities have broad public access to the sexual and reproductive health care they need and deserve.
Kea's extensive background in fundraising and leadership speaks volumes about her ability to navigate the dynamic landscape of philanthropic giving. With a track record of success in leading multimillion-dollar campaigns for organizations such as the San Diego Zoo and Jewish Family Service, and cultivating long-lasting relationships with donors, Kea brings a fresh perspective and innovative strategies to propel Planned Parenthood's fundraising efforts to new heights on the heels of Keith Limberg’s retirement.
Kea embodies the values that have been the cornerstone of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest's mission for over six decades: compassion, empathy, and a deep commitment to reproductive health and rights. Kea’s belief in the importance of reproductive rights and health care access aligns with Planned Parenthood's core values, ensuring that our fundraising efforts are driven by an understanding of the impact we make on the lives of millions of individuals and families across San Diego, Riverside and Imperial Counties.
As we welcome Kea to our team, we are filled with a sense of optimism and excitement for the future. We had a chance to sit down with Kea to ask her a few questions. Read on to learn more about her:
Tell us a little about yourself:
I started my career in fundraising doing telemarketing for the annual fund at my alma mater, UC San Diego. Since I was on a much-needed scholarship myself, I was delighted that I got to help raise funds as a student worker for other undergraduate students.
Even at 20 years old, I knew I wanted to do something that helped society, which is what led to my fundraising career of more than 30 years. I worked at UC San Diego in a career capacity for seven years. Following that, I worked for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance for 18 years.
On a more personal note, I am the mother of two sons, a 13-year-old and a 20-year-old. I love spending time with my family, traveling, watercolor painting, and riding my road bike – interestingly, I understand Keith was a road cyclist, too!
What are some of your proudest career accomplishments?
I am so proud of the work we did at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. During tenure, I was campaign director for our first ever comprehensive campaign of $532 million. It was an amazing experience to have an opportunity to run a comprehensive campaign; it was my first ever, and their first ever – everyone was learning and growing together.
Following my time at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, I worked for Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) for three years, during the height of the pandemic. I was proud to serve our community during a time when community needs were so great – we tripled our budget during that time and served almost 100,000 people annually!
I'm also proud of going to graduate school as an older student. I was a parent of young children, and working a full-time job while obtaining my Master’s in Leadership and Nonprofit Management at the University of San Diego.
What brings you to Planned Parenthood? What excites you most about the work that we do?
Like so many people, I had my very first experience with Planned Parenthood as a patient; it’s a phenomenal organization that provides high-quality services, educates and advocates.
After many years in development, I realized I wanted to pursue work where I had the ability to contribute to changing the system. I have loved being able to help meet the needs of the community – helping people secure housing, helping with food insecurity. But it was time for me to pursue something where I could help change the system.
I remember looking back at a journal entry from years ago where I wrote about wanting to join a high-impact nonprofit organization that provides services to help our community and advocates for human rights. And now I’m here!
Since I have joined, I can now tell you my favorite part about Planned Parenthood is the people I get to work with in contributing to our mission. I didn't know it was magical until I came here; it's magical.
What are your thoughts on the current state of reproductive health and rights? How do you feel like you’ll be able to make an impact on the current state?
Last June, I lost some hope. I lost hope for the first time in a long time. But I gained it back when I realized that I could be a part of the change – that I could take my skills and abilities, and take what I know how to do so well, and put it into action.
This work is so personal and I am going to do everything I can to move this work forward. For the foreseeable future, I am on a listening and learning journey. I need to learn how we work at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. Even though it is going to take a while to really get my bearings, I'm super fortunate because Keith has built an incredibly strong team, an incredibly strong department.
Maybe that’s why this is such a magical place: Because every single person here just understands so deeply, and they're so committed.
What is your vision for your community and for the communities we serve?
Equity is one of my core values; I envision a community where everyone has access to health care and to reliable information. I envision a community where we are not having to have conversations that human rights matter – where we understand and fight for a world where women’s rights, trans rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and especially reproductive rights are all considered human rights.
On behalf of the entire Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest community, we extend a warm welcome to Kea! With Kea at the helm of our fundraising efforts, we are confident that Planned Parenthood will continue to be a beacon of hope and a powerful advocate for reproductive rights and health care access for generations to come.
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