Salk Institute welcomes San Diego philanthropist Amy Jacobs as new trustee

December 19, 2023

Salk Institute welcomes San Diego philanthropist Amy Jacobs as new trustee

December 19, 2023

LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute 理事会 welcomes its newest trustee, Amy Jacobs. Chaired by Marna C. Whittington, the Salk Board helps drive the direction of the world-renowned biological research facility founded in 1960 by polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk.

Jacobs brings her experience as a philanthropist with an educational background in science to the Institute. Since moving to San Diego 13 years ago, she has been active in supporting local Jewish organizations and the Jacobs Cushman San Diego Food Bank, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, as well as housing and homelessness initiatives in San Diego. Additionally, Jacobs is a member of the Pauline Foster Women’s Leadership Institute and a former member of Forward Global (formerly the Philanthropy Workshop).

“We are thrilled Amy is joining the Board,” says Salk President 杰拉尔德·乔伊斯. “She is a positive force in the San Diego community, and we are excited for the knowledge and perspective that she brings to the Institute.”

Jacobs attended the University of Alberta in her hometown of Edmonton, Canada, where she received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with a minor in physical sciences. She and her husband, Adam Jacobs, have a 22-month-old daughter and a newborn son. Jacobs is not currently working, as she is staying home to care for the couple’s children. She will formally join the Salk Board in April 2024.

"I am honored and thrilled to be a part of the Board of Trustees at Salk,” says Jacobs, who explains that her driving force behind she and her husband’s philanthropy is based on tikkun olam, or world repair, the idea that we are all responsible for leaving the world a better place than we found it. “I see this idea reflected in the groundbreaking research that occurs at the Salk Institute. My passion and respect for the sciences started at an early age and I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to combine this with my philanthropic endeavors and experience to support and contribute to the success and growth of an organization as forward-thinking as the Salk Institute."