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Stop & Talk

Stop & Talk

By: Grant Oliphant Prebys Foundation Crystal Page
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Join Grant Oliphant and Crystal Page as they sit down to explore the vibrant and evolving landscape of San Diego County, through the lens of the Prebys Foundation's mission and vision. In Stop & Talk, Grant and Crystal engage in thought-provoking conversations with local leaders, changemakers, and community builders who are passionate about creating a more inclusive, purposeful, and opportunity-rich San Diego Each episode offers an inside look into the foundation's journey, discoveries, and partnerships while highlighting the work being done to cultivate belonging and drive positive change across the region. Whether it's amplifying the voices of upcoming leaders or fostering collaborative solutions to the region's most pressing challenges, Stop & Talk is your go-to space for inspiration and insight on what’s possible when people come together with intention and vision. Subscribe to get the latest engaging discussions that inspire action and celebrate the power of community.2023 - 25 Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Novien Yarber: What Prebys Heard From Grantees

    Novien Yarber: What Prebys Heard From Grantees
    Jun 18 2026

    Dr. Novien Yarber is the Senior Learning Officer at Prebys Foundation, where he helps the foundation listen, reflect, and learn from its work with community partners. Known around the office as “Dr. Novi,” he brings a rare combination of rigor, warmth, and curiosity to the practice of evaluation. Before joining Prebys, Novi served as Director of Leadership, Philanthropy, and Social Impact at the University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Institute, where he led community-focused programs at the intersection of leadership and social change

    This Episode:

    What does it look like when a foundation takes a closer look at itself?

    In this episode, Novi and Grant reflect on what Prebys heard from grantee partners through its most recent Grantee Perception Report. The conversation explores both the affirmations and the invitations for growth, including how grantees perceive Prebys’ leadership, impact, adaptability, transparency, and relationships across San Diego County.

    This episode offers a candid look at how a foundation makes sense of feedback, wrestles with trade-offs, and thinks about its role in community. Novi and Grant discuss one of the central tensions in place-based philanthropy: how to keep learning and responding to changing conditions while also being clear and predictable for the organizations doing the work every day.

    They explore what real transparency requires, why trust matters for shared learning, and how funders and grantees can build relationships strong enough to hold wins, losses, lessons, and setbacks.

    Key Moments:

    • [2:02] What the Center for Effective Philanthropy is and why the report matters
    • [10:28] Why relationships are central to place-based philanthropy
    • [23:55] How deeper trust can support shared learning between funders and grantees
    • [30:39] Grant reflects on adaptive leadership, values, and predictability
    • [38:08] Novi connects transparency with accountability

    Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

    • Center for Effective Philanthropy – A national nonprofit that supports more effective philanthropy through research, data, and resources for foundations and donors.
    • Prebys Foundation – A place-based foundation working to advance purpose, opportunity, and belonging across San Diego County.
    • Healing Through Arts and Nature – A Prebys-supported approach that expands access to arts, culture, and nature as resources for youth mental health and well-being.

    Take Action:

    • Practice Transparency – Share not only what you decide, but what you are learning along the way. Being open about process can build trust, even when the answers are still evolving.
    • Build Relationships That Can Hold Honesty – Invest in relationships where people can share what is working, what is hard, and what needs to change without fear of losing trust.
    • Stay Open to Feedback – Treat feedback as an opportunity to grow, not as a final judgment. Listening, reflecting, and adjusting are part of building stronger organizations and communities.


    Credits:


    This is a production of the Prebys Foundation


    Hosted by Grant Oliphant


    Co-Hosted by Crystal Page


    Produced by Adam Greenfield, Tess Karesky, Edgar Ontiveros Medina, and Crystal Page


    Engineered by Adam Greenfield


    Production Coordination by Tess Karesky


    Video Production by Edgar Ontiveros Medina


    The Stop & Talk Theme song was created by San Diego’s own Mr. Lyrical Groove.


    Download episodes at your favorite podcatcher or visit us at StopAndTalkPod​cast​.com


    Special thanks to the Prebys Foundation Team


    If you like this show, and we hope you do, the best way to support this show is to share, subscribe
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    57 mins
  • Dana Toppel: Housing, Hope, and Human Service

    Dana Toppel: Housing, Hope, and Human Service
    Jun 5 2026

    Dana Toppel is CEO of Jewish Family Service of San Diego, one of the region’s most established human services organizations. Founded more than 100 years ago, JFS continues to be rooted in Jewish values while serving people across San Diego County, including older adults, immigrants, families, Holocaust survivors, and neighbors facing housing, food, and other basic needs. Dana has held multiple leadership roles at JFS since 2009 and brings more than two decades of direct service, clinical, and nonprofit leadership experience.


    This Episode:

    What does it take to meet urgent needs today while building a stronger safety net for tomorrow?

    In this episode, Dana and Grant explore how Jewish Family Service is responding to this moment in San Diego. Dana shares how JFS serves more than 60,000 people each year, with a focus on helping people access safe and stable housing, culturally competent food, and the wraparound support they need to move toward greater stability and dignity.


    The conversation also explores what it means to lead with both compassion and discipline. She and Grant discuss why nonprofits need to focus on what they do best, partner more deeply, reduce duplication, and look further upstream so the region can address challenges before they become emergencies.

    Dana reminds us that hope is active. It comes from staying close to people’s stories, building relationships across differences, and continuing to show up for the work, even when outside forces push back.


    Key Moments:

    • [2:52] How Jewish Family Service serves the broader San Diego community
    • [8:32] What courage looks like for a humanitarian service organization
    • [17:21] Dana’s path from social worker to COO to CEO
    • [26:29] How the nonprofit sector can reduce duplication and work further upstream
    • [44:18] Why hope matters when working toward a different future

    Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

    • Jewish Family Service of San Diego – Providing housing, food, immigration support, older adult services, and other human services across San Diego County
    • Safe Parking Program – JFS’s program supporting people and families living in their vehicles as they work toward stable housing
    • Nonprofits Create Bold, Replicable Solution to Housing Crisis – An op-ed from Dana Toppel, Prebys CFIO Gil Gil Alvarado, and partners on a new collaborative model for affordable housing in San Diego


    Take Action:

    • Learn About JFS – Explore how Jewish Family Service supports people across San Diego County through housing, food, immigration services, older adult support, and more.
    • Support Basic Needs – Look for ways to help neighbors access stable housing, nutritious food, and trusted services.
    • Think Upstream – Support approaches that prevent crises before they deepen, including stronger partnerships, reduced duplication, and early intervention.
    • Stay Connected to People’s Stories – Volunteer, listen, and spend time with organizations serving the community directly. Seeing the work up close can change how we understand what is possible.


    Credits:


    This is a production of the Prebys Foundation


    Hosted by Grant Oliphant


    Co-Hosted by Crystal Page


    Produced by Adam Greenfield, Tess Karesky, Edgar Ontiveros Medina, and Crystal Page


    Engineered by Adam Greenfield


    Production Coordination by Tess Karesky


    Video Production by Edgar Ontiveros Medina


    The Stop & Talk Theme song was created by San Diego’s own Mr. Lyrical Groove.


    Download episodes at your favorite podcatcher or visit us at StopAndTalkPod​cast​.com


    Special thanks to the Prebys Foundation Team


    If you like this show, and we hope you do, the best way to support this show is to share, subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Erin Harkey: Arts, Culture, and a Healthy Democracy

    Erin Harkey: Arts, Culture, and a Healthy Democracy
    May 15 2026
    Editor’s Note: This episode was recorded in April 2026, before the City of San Diego released its initial FY27 budget proposal. That proposal has since raised urgent questions about the future of public arts funding in San Diego, making this conversation with Erin Harkey especially timely. Erin Harkey is the President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing arts and culture. She helps shape the national conversation about public arts funding, creative workers, cultural policy, and the future of the arts ecosystem. Before joining Americans for the Arts, Erin held major arts and civic leadership roles in Chicago, including serving as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Her career also includes work in Los Angeles and Long Beach, giving her a perspective that spans local practice, regional systems, and national advocacy. This Episode: How do arts and culture help build a healthy society? Erin and Grant explore the arts as both a reflection of community health and a force that helps create it. Erin points to a striking statistic: 76% of Americans say the arts are personally important to them. That shared value matters, especially at a time when artists and cultural organizations are facing real pressure from shifting funding, policy uncertainty, and broader instability. Erin reminds us that culture is everywhere: in museums and theaters, state fairs, classrooms, community centers, faith spaces, neighborhood traditions, and the things people do together every Saturday. Seeing the arts this way helps communities recognize the creative life already around them and understand why public funding matters. They discuss how arts and culture are “both an indicator and facilitator” of a healthy society, shaping quality of life, economic vitality, mental health, civic dialogue, democracy, and the ways communities express who they are. At a moment when San Diego is weighing the future of public arts investment, Erin’s national perspective brings the issue home. The work ahead, she argues, is local: protect creative expression, strengthen the conditions artists need, and recognize that when the arts flourish, communities do too. Key Moments: [14:05] Why public arts funding reaches communities that other funding often misses [16:43] Why the arts remain a rare point of broad public agreement [19:15] How culture lives everywhere, from major institutions to everyday community life [24:00] Why arts and health may be one of the most resonant arguments for public support [40:09] Why the arts are essential to a healthy democracy Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Americans for the Arts – National organization advancing arts and culture through research, advocacy, policy, and field-building. Arts & Economic Prosperity Research – Americans for the Arts’ research on the economic and social impact of the nonprofit arts and culture sector. Springboard for the Arts – Artist-centered organization known for community development work and guaranteed income efforts for artists. Prebys Foundation’s Healing Through Art and Nature – Grant initiative focused on how arts and nature can support mental health, connection, and well-being. Take Action: Support Public Arts Funding – Follow local budget conversations and speak up for arts and culture as essential civic infrastructure. Resources at sdartmatters.org. Recognize Culture Everywhere – Notice the festivals, murals, performances, traditions, and community spaces that shape daily life. Support Artists and Cultural Workers – Attend events, buy work, share opportunities, and advocate for the space, funding, and conditions artists need to thrive. Connect Arts to Health and Belonging – Look for ways arts and culture can support young people, mental health, connection, and reduced isolation in your community. Protect Creative Expression – Treat the arts as part of a healthy democracy: a way people share stories, encounter different perspectives, and imagine what comes next. Credits:This is a production of the Prebys FoundationHosted by Grant OliphantCo-Hosted by Crystal PageProduced by Adam Greenfield, Tess Karesky, Edgar Ontiveros Medina, and Crystal PageEngineered by Adam GreenfieldProduction Coordination by Tess KareskyVideo Production by Edgar Ontiveros MedinaThe Stop & Talk Theme song was created by San Diego’s own Mr. Lyrical Groove.Download episodes at your favorite podcatcher or visit us at StopAndTalkPod​cast​.comSpecial thanks to the Prebys Foundation TeamIf you like this show, and we hope you do, the best way to support this show is to share and subscribe.
    Show More Show Less
    57 mins
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