Veronica Coffield

President, Chaka Khan Foundation

Veronica Coffield currently serves as the President of the Chaka Khan Foundation.  Through her visionary leadership she is responsible for taking the Foundation from a start-up to positioning it as a nationally known and well respected vehicle for communicating and executing Chaka Khan’s vision to help women and children at risk.  Skilled at recruiting highly qualified and well connected board and staff, she has been successful in building and sustaining the governance and operational infrastructure of the organization.

Veronica is adept at building strategic alliances and partnerships, she has built relationships with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Neiman Marcus, Cure Autism Now, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Bernard Parks, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke.  A member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Veronica’s skill in fundraising has enabled her to raise in excess of $3 million to benefit the priorities of the Chaka Khan Foundation and its partners.  Her passion, commitment and dedication to the Foundation’s mission have allowed her to create and implement an Autism Initiative and an Education Initiative.

The Autism Initiative provides educational conferences and resources for low-income and underserved families facing autism.  The Chaka Khan Foundation Education Initiative partners with the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide on-going workshops and mentoring for youth in grades 6 through 8 in South Los Angeles.  This program motivates and prepares selected students for a college education.

The success of the Chaka Khan Foundation has garnered recognition from President Bush, the County of Los Angeles, the City of Los Angeles and Mayor Villaraigosa.  In addition, through Veronica’s efforts, the Foundation has been endorsed and supported by Governor Arnold Scharzenegger, Congressman Brad Sherman, Assembly member Fran Pavley and the House of Representatives.  In addition,  Veronica’s work for the Chaka Khan Foundation has received national acclaim and has been highlighted in several media outlets including the Ellen Degeneres Show, the Wayne Brady Show, the Sharon Osborne Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC, NBC, Fox, Good Day LA, KCAL9, the Los Angeles Times, Billboard Magazine and Jet Magazine.

Like Chaka Khan, Veronica shares a deep and passionate commitment to youth.  Prior to coming to the Chaka Khan Foundation, she worked for the nonprofit organization LA Link as an intervention specialist providing education to minors to encourage them not to smoke or drink.  She has also worked as a probation officer interfacing with several community based organizations to ensure that youth had the support and resources they needed to succeed.  While a college student, Veronica created a nonprofit organization to bring entertainment and uplifting messages to students at college campuses across the country. She holds a BA from the University of Delaware and continues to advance her knowledge by pursuing a certificate in nonprofit management at UCLA Extension.