Congratulations to Amber Cole

When Amber and her husband decided to move to California from Oklahoma, they looked for places to live and quickly fell in love with the Santa Clarita Valley because of the people, sense of community, and natural beauty of the area. Amber was thrilled when she was hired to serve as Director, Grants Development at College of the Canyons.
As a Certified Fundraising Executive since 2009, she believes investing time and energy in the local community is extremely important. Upon arriving in Santa Clarita, she quickly joined the SCV Nonprofit Leaders Network, serving in a leadership role on the Steering Committee. Through this organization, she had planned and hosted several events to support local nonprofits. Examples include two editions of Meet the Grant Makers, which allow nonprofits to network and learn from presentations by grantors, including the California Community Foundation, Parsons Foundation, Newhall Family Foundation, and California Humanities.
She love working for College of the Canyons and diligently pursuing new funding to support our local students, raising more than $14 million this year. For one of her first projects, she secured a new $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to provide 100 low-income, academically-talented STEM students with scholarships and support services. She also secured the College’s first grant award through the Child Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS) program, totaling nearly $1.4 million. This funding benefits the Early Childhood Education program by providing more daycare hours for students, classroom technology and play area updates for children, and access to a child psychologist. Other grant awards include funds to expand the student foodbanks at both campuses, secure equipment for a new Advanced Technology Center, and start undergraduate research projects.
As demonstrated, she is very committed to the prosperity of our local students and the greater SCV community. Her collaborative nature, positivity, career and community excellence, and dedication to going the extra mile made her a deserving candidate for this award.