University of San Diego Announces Leadership Award Winner

Fifth Annual Kaleidoscope Award for Exceptional Governance from Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research

The University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Science’s (SOLES) Institute for Nonprofit Education and Research is proud to announce this year’s Kaleidoscope Award for Exceptional Governance.

This year’s Kaleidoscope winner is the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory (SDYS).

“The San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory is an outstanding organization and an asset to the San Diego community,” said Liz Shear, director of USD’s Nonprofit Governance Symposium, whose committee of judges selected the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory (SDYS) for the fifth annual award. “Its board brings precision and excellence to bear in its governance processes and practices.”

Like a kaleidoscope, the work of nonprofit governance is intricate, varied, and involves viewing the organization through a variety of lenses. Exceptional governance requires precision, imagination, and principled and adept decision?making. Its practitioners are dedicated volunteers who contribute valuable services to our community.

The San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory strives for excellence in the musical and personal development of their students through “rigorous and inspiring musical training experiences.”

“Our Board of Trustees is greatly honored to receive the Kaleidoscope Award this year,” said SDYS Board Chair and UC-San Diego Professor Jim Whitesell. “Establishing good governance as a priority has been instrumental in pushing forward our vision to make music education accessible and affordable for all children.” 

By interacting with musical communities to broaden students’ horizons, embracing the diversity of students and enriching the community through programs and collaborations that increase access to and appreciation of classical music, SDYS seeks to foster a diverse, music rich environment for their students, and to instill a lifetime love of music.

The mission of the Fifth Annual Kaleidoscope Award for Exceptional Governance is to recognize, celebrate, promote and inspire excellence in nonprofit governance.

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is among the Top 20 Best Private Schools for Making an Impact according to The Princeton Review. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.