Elle Fersan is Vice President of Philanthropy at East Bay Community Foundation. With more than 20 years of experience leading organizations through growth and building strategic partnerships, Elle sets strategy and leads the philanthropic advising, fundraising, and donor engagement teams at EBCF.
Elle brings a diverse experience, having worked with academic institutions, local governments, the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and international organizations and raised more than $200 million in funding. She has forged strong partnerships and co-led successful capital campaigns resulting in significant growth and increased support for vital social justice causes. Throughout her career, she has played a pivotal role in connecting donors with impactful projects that bring about meaningful change.
Prior to joining EBCF in 2023, Elle served as Executive Vice President of Resource Development and Communications at the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC). Prior to that, she directed The University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law Immigrants and Global Migration Initiative, where she introduced USC’s online Undocumented Students Resource Center and galvanized campus resources to support civil society organizations and asylum seekers during the 2018 family separation crisis.
Fluent in Arabic, French, and English, Elle holds a Master of Arts in Public Leadership from the University of San Francisco and both a Master’s and Bachelor of Arts in History from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon.
Elle finds delight and inspiration in her nieces and nephews and is working hard to beat out her siblings for the “best aunt” title. She loves a good documentary, fixing electronics (or anything really), playing soccer, exploring our beautiful planet, and introducing her local friends to the very best of all cuisines: Lebanese. She might be slightly addicted to Family Feud.