By Greg Hardesty
As an undergraduate at USC, Regina Birdsell spent considerable time immersed in the late ’70s disco scene on Sunset Boulevard, a hub of Hollywood nightlife.
But she wasn’t there to boogie the night away. As a reporter for USC’s student newspaper, The Daily Trojan, Birdsell was engaged in the serious business of journalism, documenting the cool places for college students to hang out when polyester suits and sequined jumpsuits were ubiquitous on dance floors.
Her skill as a student reporter eventually led to a job at KABC News. But that was just the first step in a varied career path that featured key leadership positions in government and nonprofit organizations.
Today, Birdsell is applying her formidable skills to the USC Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management Program at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. She took over as director of the program, which provides critical skills and training for leaders of complex nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, on July 1.
“The program’s faculty are researchers, scholars, and adjunct professors who are influencing the field here and abroad,” Birdsell says. “For our students, this combination of perspectives on current trends and what best practices look like is just extraordinary and exciting.”
A Trojan many times over
In addition to a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Birdsell fulfilled a bucket-list goal of earning a master’s degree in social work and public administration at USC. Previously, she was an adjunct professor at the USC Price School and the USC Annenberg School of Communication.
Her first pivot to the nonprofit sector came after serving as press secretary for California’s Attorney General, John Van de Kamp, when she became the first director of public affairs at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Later, Birdsell was recruited by then-L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan to lead the New Los Angeles Marketing Partnership, a five-year, $18-million public/private partnership focused on promoting L.A. as a vital place to live, work, and invest in the wake of gloom-and-doom headlines about the city’s natural disasters and sensational cases like the Rodney King beating and the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
“When private and public partners work together around shared goals, you can improve conditions in a community,” Birdsell says of the effort, which served as a model for several other U.S. cities seeking to improve their image and strengthen their economy.
A ‘wealth of knowledge’ on creating change
After five years leading the consumer advocacy division of the California Public Utilities Commission, Birdsell was named chief executive officer of the Southern California Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM), which she led for nearly 17 years before joining USC this year.
Among her numerous accomplishments at CNM, Birdsell established the first nonprofit council for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and, as a member of its Economic Resiliency Task Force, helped create a recovery plan for L.A. County after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.
“I am incredibly proud of the work we did,” Birdsell says. “The team served as a trusted resource for leaders across the nation and around the world working to make a difference.”
Joe Lumarda was a CNM board chair during Birdsell’s time as president and chief executive.
“She brings a wealth of knowledge of the nonprofit sector, from the details of management to effective planning and strategy to the foundational work of crafting a mission, vision, and values,” says Lumarda, a California Wellness Foundation board member and senior vice president and investment counselor for Capital Group Private Client Services.
“Regina knows the nuances of the sector, with all its challenges and potential to create systemic change and affect individual lives,” he adds.
Using Los Angeles as a laboratory for students
On a recent weekday, Birdsell took a break to walk her dog, Koda, a 2-year-old Australian shepherd. She took up pickleball before it became a craze and loves Trojan football games in the Fall and concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in the summer.
She also loves her new job.
“I’m excited to add what I know about the challenges facing nonprofit organizations and the potential for cross-sector collaboration because I’ve seen it work,” Birdsell says.
One goal is to hold more networking opportunities for alumni and current students.
“Using L.A. as the lab where ideas are percolating and lessons are tested, I’d like to expose our students to more key practitioners, including our alumni, doing innovative, inspiring work,” says Birdsell. “Given the vital role our sector plays, I’m looking forward to helping expand practicum placements, enhancing our program curriculum, and exploring growth opportunities that will prepare our students for the challenges ahead.”