Lester Olmstead-Rose
Partner
Associations & Federated Organizations
Food Security
Social Justice/ Advocacy/ Policy
Meet Lester,
one of our Partners.
Lester Olmstead-Rose (he/him) is firmly rooted in his experience at every level of nonprofit operations. Over his career, he has spent time within nonprofits as a program manager and Executive Director and has served on multiple boards. Lester has also been responsible for providing grants to nonprofits as part of a Fortune 500 company. Each day, he takes those experiences — and the new experiences he’s enjoyed working with hundreds of nonprofits in scores of fields — and applies them to help his current clients. Lester finds it exciting to share ways of thinking and relevant learning in new ways to help individual organizations and the nonprofit sector advance.
Prior to joining La Piana in 2005, Lester was director of government and public affairs at Pacific Gas & Electric Company and served as executive director of Community United Against Violence. He was also the legislative assistant to San Francisco County Supervisor Angela Alioto.
Impact Approach Lester knows he has helped a client increase its impact when he sees an organization adapt and grow over time — particularly, as he has seen time and time again, as organizations learn more and more about the community's needs and how to adapt their strengths to better meet those needs. Education Golden Gate University ‒ M.B.A. Stanford University ‒ B.A., Religious Studies Select Clients Select Publications Common Cause John Muir Community Health Fund Meals on Wheels San Francisco OneFuture Coachella Valley San Diego Natural History Museum Trust for Public Land Nonprofit Business Plan (co-author) “I love working with different types of organizations that are at different points in their life cycle. What really excites me is working with clients who are ready to move forward in new ways, clients that that are passionate about their mission and who have insights into how they can be ever more effective.” Outside of Work Lester likes to lay low in order to recharge his batteries, going somewhere physically or intellectually, that is an escape. Lester likes to be challenged in ways that are very different from the challenges of client work: exploring new ideas through the performing arts or new countries through travel. He especially enjoys going to the ballet or other dance performances, something he learned from his mother who was a dancer and dance teacher.
