Mendi Blue Paca

Mendi Blue Paca is President & CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, where she leads the $275 million regional funder, capacity builder, placemaker, and philanthropic investment manager in partnering with the community to ensure that every county resident has an equitable opportunity to thrive. Her work brings together nonprofits, the business sector, elected and administrative officials, external constituent groups, and other grant makers to achieve positive systems-level change. She joined the Foundation in 2018 and previously served as the Chief Community Impact Officer and VP of Community Impact. In her previous roles, she led grant making, programs, policy advocacy, and major community leadership initiatives to close opportunity gaps in education, employment, housing and health. Mendi oversaw the Foundation’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence, $20M Fund for Women & Girls, Immigrant Success Fund and Thrive by 25 initiatives.

Mendi began her career as a registered broker and compliance officer at Goldman Sachs & Co. She was a strategy manager at the Center for Effective Philanthropy; growth and innovation advisor to the president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; and summer associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which has been repeatedly rated the country’s top law firm.

She has served as a strategic consultant to dozens of the largest U.S.-based philanthropic organizations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates, Ford, William and Flora Hewlett, W.K. Kellogg, Robert Wood Johnson, David and Lucile Packard and Walton Family foundations. In 2013, after living in Boston, New York City, Washington D.C. and Madrid, Spain for thirteen years, Mendi returned to her home state, CT, where she held public sector leadership roles and managed political campaigns. In these capacities, she secured millions of dollars in competitive state, federal, foundation, individual and corporate resources to advance community goals.

Mendi holds a bachelor’s degree in economics cum laude from Harvard College, a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She is a member of the New York Federal Reserve’s Community Advisory Group. She is a board member of the CT Council for Philanthropy; the Stamford Partnership; Partnership for Strong Communities; Partners for Educational Leadership; the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce; and Harvard Business School Community Partners of CT.

She is passionate about entrepreneurship, maternal and reproductive health, and mental health equity. Mendi lives with her husband, Marcus, daughter, and doodle in Trumbull, CT, where in her spare time she loves entertaining and trying new recipes.