Board President

John Sonego is a seasoned development and communications professional who serves as the Vice President of Development and Communications for Chrysalis, a leading Los Angeles nonprofit and social enterprise that works with clients from underserved communities to help them secure and maintain employment.

Prior to Chrysalis, John served as the Associate Dean for External Affairs at the UCLA School of Law, one of nation’s top-ranked Law Schools. His career in institutional advancement includes nine years at the USC Price School of Public Policy and five at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. At USC, he also served as an adjunct faculty, teaching in the Price School’s Masters in Public Administration and Nonprofit Leadership and Management programs.

Sonego has extensive experience in nonprofit advocacy, having served as the Director of Programs and Communications at Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), where he was instrumental in the effort to persuade The New York Times to include same-sex couples in their Weddings and Celebrations section. In the early days of the AIDS crisis, he was one of the founders of Detroit’s Steppin’ Out AIDS Walk, which continues today.

Sonego is an active community volunteer with deep experience in nonprofit board management and development. Throughout his career, he has served in leadership positions in over fourteen nonprofit boards. He currently serves as the vice chair of the Board of Directors of Project Angel Food. He also served for five years as a Commissioner to the Local Government Services Commission of Los Angeles County.

He is the author of My Three Sons: The Birth of a New Family, which chronicled his adoption of three brothers who had been in foster care, and of In the Belly of the Fish: A Study in the Book of Jonah. Sonego has also been published in USA Today, The Detroit News, The Advocate, and the Huffington Post.

Sonego and his husband live in Los Angeles, sharing their home with four dogs and their youngest son.