About the Award
The Prebys Leadership Awards, formerly Leaders in Belonging, annually recognizes five leaders with a track record of promoting well-being for San Diego County. Each leader receives a $100,000 grant to support their work in the fields of arts and culture, healthcare, medical research, and youth success.
This year’s recipients include Dr. Paula Aristizabal, pediatric oncologist of UC San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital, is a leader in healthcare, dedicated to improving outcomes for children with cancer by breaking down barriers for Hispanic children and their families; Afira Arrastia-DeVries, President and CEO of the Monarch School Project, who leads the only K‑12 public institution dedicated to providing a welcoming environment to unhoused students while support teachers across the country to learn how to better serve these youth and their families; Andrew Carey, the Executive Director of the US-Mexico Border Philanthropy Partnership, leads a visionary team dedicated to cross-border collaboration with the mission of improving the lives of communities along the US-Mexico border; Ben McCue the Executive Director of Outdoor Outreach who has made remarkable strides in the field of outdoor education and environmental stewardship providing youth with opportunities for growth, development, and to find themselves; Chris Rubio the Artistic Director of Arms Wide Open a groundbreaking theater group dedicated to transforming lives and breaking down barriers for children on the autism spectrum and many others with special needs.
Meet the Awardees
