Alex Southard
Promise Zone Coordinator, City of San Diego
she/her

Alex Southard currently serves as the Promise Zone Coordinator with the City of San Diego’s Economic Development Department. The San Diego Promise Zone is a federal initiative that brings together nonprofits, government agencies, businesses, and community members to reduce poverty in some of the City’s most underserved neighborhoods. She works with a small team to convene working group meetings, bring committed stakeholders together to collaborate on projects, and direct partners to relevant federal financial resources.

Prior to her current role, Alex held fundraising positions at the San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego Museum of Man. Her interest in the museum field developed after a volunteer experience at the Florida Holocaust Museum, where she subsequently believed that museums could be a vehicle for social change by cultivating empathy among people to better understand differences. After several years in the museum field, she transitioned to a career that’s directly focused on her passion to advance economic justice and equity. She holds a B.A. in Women’s Studies and History with a minor in Africana Studies from the University of South Florida and a M.A. in Museum Studies with an emphasis on nonprofit management and fundraising from San Francisco State University. She also holds a certificate in Business Intelligence from UCSD Extension.

Alex is originally from St. Petersburg, Florida and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2012. She has been in San Diego since 2014 and has enjoyed putting down roots in this city with her partner, Kelly. Alex is eager to get more involved with organizations that focus on climate change, immigration, racial equality, and LGBTQ rights.