New executive director named for Community Foundation of Merced County

Former Merced city manager Stephanie Dietz has been named the new executive director for the Community Foundation of Merced County.

Dietz served as Merced’s city manager from November 2020 until November 2023, when she stepped down from the position. Dietz also served as assistant city manager from 2016 to 2020.

Dietz steps into the role of executive director with her more than 19 years of experience providing community centered programs and initiatives that aim to address needs of county residents.

Prior to working for the city of Merced, Dietz worked for Merced County as well as the University of California, Merced.

The foundation, which is led by 11 local volunteer board members, was started in the early 2000s and has donated more than $3 million back into Merced County through fundraising, scholarships to students, donations to nonprofits and others the organization identifies as in need of help since its inception, according to Bill Cummings, president of the Community Foundation of Merced.

Cummings said the organization has gone through what he referred to as a rehab over the past year. As a result, the organization has made changes to its policies and procedures as well as bylaws in an effort to promote exponential growth.

“What Stephanie represents is the driver,” said Cummings. “We needed somebody that could come in that had the relationships with the county supervisors, that had the credibility to go to different cities within the county and say ‘this is what we’re going to do, this is how we’re going to do it.’”

According to Cummings, Dietz and the board believe in using data as the board looks to create meaningful change.

“Stephanie again is what activates all of this because not only is she passionate and from here, but she has the relationships needed to provide the credibility and the capacity for the organization to reach its potential much faster than if we were to do it more naturally,” Cummings said.

Dietz,who assumed the role of executive director on Jan. 2, said she is looking forward to working with non-profit partners serving the Merced community.

“I’m super excited to join the Community Foundation of Merced County,” said Dietz. “For the last 19 years I’ve been listening to the community come forward and speak about the things that are really important to them. About what’s happening in their everyday lives; about the issues they face.”

Dietz said she is familiar with problems Merced County residents face such as affordable housing, finding jobs that provide a livable wage and bringing down barriers to education. She pointed out that she was a single mother and struggled with poverty earlier in her life.

“I can empathize with people who have these struggles,” said Dietz. “In my former roles, it was difficult for me to find all of the resources I could to support them with the barriers that sometimes government puts in place. So this really gives me the opportunity to follow my personal passion and invest in our Merced County residents the way that I’ve always dreamed of doing.”

Dietz said that her time as city manager gave her an understanding of resources available at both the state and federal level as well as developing partnerships with members of congress and the state senate that brought money to Merced.

“I’m hoping to build upon those relationships and on those experiences because I know what granting agencies are looking for, I know what types of programs have been successful here in our community and I’ve centered those programs around community need,” said Dietz. “So I’m really just taking that past experience and bringing it here to the foundation.”