Hi, I'm

Stephen Colón

Nonprofit executive turning mission into motion. Systems thinker, coalition-builder, devoted nail-polish enthusiast—and, every so often, a preacher.

Get in touch See my background
Portrait of Stephen Colón speaking at a podium

Get to know me

Leading the work that makes mission possible

I'm a nonprofit executive drawn to the unglamorous work that makes mission possible: the budgets, the systems, the teams, the trust. My career has run through government workforce programs and mission-driven nonprofits, and the thread connecting all of it is the same conviction—that you build cultures of operational excellence by first building relational infrastructure.

I've led budgets from a quarter-million to ten million dollars and teams from a couple of people to fifty, turned around deficits, restored community trust, and built teams that take on hard problems together. I care less about being the smartest person in the room than about leaving the room more capable than I found it.

What I'm up to now

A high-stakes chapter, by design

Right now I'm serving as Interim CEO of a 95-year-old church and preschool, brought in to steer the institution through a high-stakes leadership transition—stabilizing its finances, rebuilding community trust, and setting up its next chapter. I also get to do some preaching, which is suprisingly fun.

Alongside that, I sometimes advise nonprofits and the philanthropists who fund them on development, operations, outreach, and strategy.

That interim role wraps in Summer 2026, and now I'm looking toward my next executive role in the nonprofit sector.

I recently relocated to Southern California's Inland Empire and am open to impact-driven work in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties, as well as in remote organizations.

Stephen Colón preaching from a pulpit to a seated congregation

Background

Experience

  1. Interim Chief Executive Officer & Bridge Minister

    Apr 2024 – Present

    Kensington Community Church & Preschool interim concludes Summer 2026

    Brought in to lead a 95-year-old church and preschool through a high-stakes leadership transition. Manage a >$5MM treasury, a $2MM budget, and 17 reports.

    • First break-even year in nearly a decade.
    • 5x growth in designated giving, plus a record unrestricted gift.
    • Employee satisfaction up from an eNPS of 17 to 77.
    • Membership engagement up 18%; reversed a 15% decline in member giving.

  2. Vice President of Growth

    Dec 2022 – Apr 2024

    Climb Hire

    Transformed operations for a $5MM national nonprofit (25+ staff), leading a rebrand and growth strategy that turned underperforming functions into real impact.

    • >$7.5MM in net revenue gains—more than the entire annual budget.
    • Enrollment up 3x (+320% in two quarters) while cutting acquisition costs ~50%.
    • $1M in costs reduced.
    • Diversified funding across government, philanthropy, and individual giving.

  3. Director of Customer Experience

    Aug 2020 – Dec 2022

    San Diego Workforce Partnership promoted from Senior Manager, July 2021

    Founded a new department to reinvent service delivery for a $40MM organization serving tens of thousands a year—turning critics into advocates during a turbulent leadership period.

    • Beat every customer-experience metric by 30%+.
    • Cut time-to-enrollment by 7 business days (a >50% improvement).
    • Lifted survey response rates from under 5% to nearly 20%.
    • Steadied 50+ staff across six career centers through a CEO transition.

  4. Manager of Programs

    Feb 2015 – Aug 2020

    San Diego Workforce Partnership joined as Specialist (2/2015), promoted to Coordinator (10/2015), then Manager (2017)

    Oversaw a multimillion-dollar portfolio of public- and privately-funded programs, turning aspirations into measurable outcomes across one of the org's most visible areas.

    • Managed 13 programs (>$3.5MM) serving 6,000 youth a year, with 21 reports.
    • Designed and piloted the County of San Diego's first pay-for-performance youth workforce program (later converted to a 5-year contract).
    • Drove enterprise-wide adoption of a new case-management and evaluation system.

Education

  • Certificate in Urban Leadership RISE San Diego & University of San Diego · 2017
  • B.A., Organization Studies (Leadership & Change Management) Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Colleges · 2014

Contact

Get in touch

Whether you're hiring, scheming up a partnership, or just want to talk shop—I'd love to hear from you.

Email me

Or reach me directly at [email protected].