About Us

Jim is a 38-year nonprofit professional—29 years as a CEO. Jim started his nonprofit journey at the World Headquarters of Project Concern International where he last served as the Director of Community Relations. Jim then took his talents to the Burn Institute of San Diego, where he first served as the Director of Development and then, 18 months later, moved into the CEO role, which he held for 20 years. During his tenure at the Burn Institute, Jim led the organization into becoming the leading burn foundation in North America.

In 2012, Jim joined the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank (SDFB) as

President/CEO. Under his leadership, the SDFB nearly tripled its annual budget and

increased the agency’s reserves ten-fold. The SDFB also tripled the number of children benefiting from the agency’s hallmark Food 4 Kids Backpack Program. During his tenure, the SDFB became one of the premier food banks not only in California but nationally. In 2015 Floros led the effort to assume control of the North County Food Bank (NCFB). Soon after, the NCFB quadrupled the pounds of food distributed, tripled its service population, and quadrupled the number of children on the backpack program in San Diego’s North County.

Under Jim’s leadership, the SDFB service population almost doubled from 320,000 to nearly 600,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic; and throughout his tenure, the agency’s annual food distribution increased from 18 to nearly 60 million pounds. New cutting-edge programs were also developed including College Hunger Relief; Diaper Bank; On the Go Pantry; Super Pantry; and the Military Hunger Relief Initiative. Jim also guided the agency to become LEED GOLD V4 certified, and with the installation of 1,400 solar panels on the warehouse and an on-site composting center, the cost savings resulted in 850,000 additional meals annually.

Jim and the agencies he has managed have raised in excess of $150,000,000 during his tenure. Jim left the Food Bank in 2021 to pursue his consulting business Floros & Associates and his passion for the nonprofit sector. Jim is a graduate of the University of San Diego. Throughout Jim’s career, he has received numerous prestigious awards including:

• SD 50 – 50 Making a Difference During the COVID19 Crisis:
  San Diego Business Journal
• Outstanding Development Professional of the Year:
  Association of Fundraising Professionals, San Diego Chapter
• Eva Irving Community Service Award
  Public Relations Society of America, San Diego Chapter
• Nonprofit CEO of the Year:
  San Diego Business Journal (2016 & 2020)
• George Chamberlain Community Excellence Award: iHeart Media
• Business Leader of the Year:
  North County Business Chamber of Commerce
• SD 500 – San Diego’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders:
  San Diego Business Journal (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
• Maltese Award: San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association
• National Burn Prevention Award:
  American Burn Association
  

Cheryl is a certified meetings and events professional and accomplished marketing and public relations specialist with over 30 years of experience in community and public outreach and event planning. As Director of Programs & Operations at Wise Communications & Incentives, Cheryl’s communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills contributed to the agency earning international recognition. During her tenure with Wise, Cheryl supervised the highly successful inaugural international marketing campaign for Rosarito Beach, Mexico, which resulted in a 35 percent overall increase in tourism. She has also organized and operated numerous corporate meetings and special events including charity galas, donor/sponsor receptions, and media events. In her prior roles as Director of Public Relations & Marketing for the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA and Communications Director at the San Diego Burn Institute, Cheryl developed and implemented comprehensive marketing campaigns, PR strategies, and programs for both agencies in addition to crisis communications planning. Cheryl is a graduate of San Diego State University.

Marianne  is a 40-plus-year veteran in the nonprofit sector. A proven and effective executive and fundraiser, Marianne is adept at setting and achieving goals and defining programmatic visions that lead to organizational success. Marianne spent 11 years at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia as Chief Philanthropy Officer. Throughout her career, she has raised over $200 million in multiple sectors including health and human services, education, and healthcare. 

A strategic thinker, Marianne is skilled at conceptualizing and implementing appropriately scaled systems, effective in budget and program development, and adept at evaluating fundraising and communication streams. Marianne is a detail-oriented planner who creates smart processes and achieves data-driven outcomes. As a seasoned leader, she is knowledgeable in all aspects of non-profit governance and administration. Her skills include all aspects of fundraising with high proficiency in grant writing, development plan creation, copywriting/editing, direct mail, and data management.

Cathy is a well-versed Marketer and Graphic Designer with over fifteen years experience in marketing and creative services. She has solid expertise in project management, strategic planning, graphic design, and email design/ automation with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit, higher education, tech, finance and biotech industries.

As a professional fundraiser, Cliff has helped generate more than $250,000,000 in contributions for non-profit institutions in a career that has spanned more than 35 years. He has served as the Director of Special Campaigns at the University of California, Berkeley, where his fundraising program was selected for the United States Steel Award for the top program in the nation. Cliff also organized and directed the fundraising program for the San Diego Zoological Society until founding Underwood & Associates in San Diego in 1985. Over the years, he provided consulting services for: USS Midway Museum; The San Diego, Poway, Carlsbad, and San Marcos Boys and Girls Clubs; The YWCA of San Diego; Ronald McDonald House; and the Children’s Museum of San Diego. In addition, Cliff provided consulting services for the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholarships, Akshaya Patra in Bangalore, India, and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. Since relocating to San Antonio, Cliff continues to work with San Diego clients including the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and the Maritime Museum. In his current home city, Cliff has worked with clients including the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Saint Mary’s Hall, The Village at Incarnate Word, and several others. He has managed or consulted in over 100 fundraising projects, most of them in San Diego and has continued to work with numerous San Diego organizations.

Shari is a former successful San Diego attorney who has been a partner and participant in Underwood & Associates studies and capital campaigns for more than 20 years. Shari’s primary responsibilities are to conduct leadership analysis study interviews and manage the organization and timelines for campaign strategies. Her diverse background includes significant involvement with the campaign to bring the USS Midway to San Diego, the Timken Museum of Art as well as the Village at Incarnate Word, Saint Mary’s Hall, and the San Antonio Botanical Garden.