Richard Tate is President and CEO of The California Wellness Foundation, one of California’s largest philanthropic public health institutions. With $1 billion in assets, Cal Wellness awards more than $50 million in grants annually and has committed to aligning 100% of its endowment investments with its mission and values. Under Richard’s leadership, the foundation aims to leverage all its resources, including its voice and influence, to advance its mission to protect and improve the health and wellness of the people of California. Richard joined Cal Wellness in 2016 as the VP of Public Affairs and built the foundation’s first integrated public affairs department, a multidisciplinary team responsible for communications, community relations and public policy activities. In 2020, Richard was appointed Executive Vice President, playing a key role in aligning Cal Wellness’ board, management and staff on institutional strategy. During his tenure at Cal Wellness, Richard has driven several ground-breaking foundation initiatives. He helped conceive and manage the Advance and Defend campaign, which in the aftermath of the 2016 election, raised the foundation’s voice and rapidly moved millions of dollars to advocacy partners. He played a key role in launching the Hope and Heal Fund in 2016, the first ever state-wide funder collaborative on gun violence prevention. In addition, he helped the foundation respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as it moved more than $20 million to underserved communities and spotlighted health inequities.