Salk Institute mourns the loss of Rebecca Newman, former vice president

August 4, 2024

Salk Institute mourns the loss of Rebecca Newman, former vice president

August 4, 2024

LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute mourns the loss of Rebecca Newman, who served as the Institute’s vice president of External Relations from 2008 to 2022. She died on August 3, 2024.

“Rebecca brought style and substance to her role as vice president. She was an icon in the local philanthropic community who did much to strengthen Salk’s groundbreaking scientific research programs,” says Salk President Gerald Joyce.

For 14 years, Newman led Salk’s fundraising efforts, including strategic planning and campaigns, donor relations, events, and communications. She successfully launched and exceeded the Institute’s first major fundraising campaign to support scientific research, which secured more than $360 million in 2015. In addition, Newman oversaw 14 years of Symphony at Salk, the Institute’s premier annual event, and created countless outreach programs, including the Salk Women & Science program, which she established in 2011 to raise the profile of women in science through fundraising and community engagement. Over her time at Salk, Newman increased private donations to Salk by an astounding 40 percent.

In July 2022, the Salk Women & Science program honored Newman with the Ursula Bellugi Trailblazer Award, recognizing her ability to establish strong relationships with leading philanthropists and some of San Diego’s biggest employers in the biotech industry.

At that time, Newman said, “I never thought of myself as a trailblazer, but I did want to change the dialogue regarding women in leadership roles, whether as philanthropists, professional fundraisers, or anyone pursuing a nontraditional career path. I tried to lead by working hard and mentoring both women and men I supervised to have confidence in their abilities, to trust their instincts, and to value the skills they bring to every endeavor—their success has been my greatest gift.”

“Rebecca was a remarkable person, with an impassioned drive to bring her immense set of skills to do good for others. Her talents and tenacity, along with her mentorship, enabled her to be a nationally recognized leader in Philanthropy. With style and grace she was able to help communicate the importance of Science and the singularity of the Salk,” says Professor Rusty Gage, past president of the Salk Institute.