Mendi Blue Paca

Mendi Blue Paca is President & CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. She joined the Foundation in 2018 and previously served as the Foundation’s 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 the opportunity gap in Fairfield County. Mendi oversaw the Foundation’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Fund for Women & Girls, Immigrant Success Fund and Thrive by 25 initiatives. She also served as the key liaison for cross-sector collaborations with nonprofits, funder partners, external constituent groups and local elected officials.

Mendi began her career as a registered broker and compliance officer at Goldman Sachs & Co. Mendi 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 a 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.

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 Board Chair of Partners for Educational Leadership and a board member of Harvard Business School Community Partners of CT. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, maternal and reproductive health, and mental health awareness. Mendi lives with her husband, Marcus, daughter and doodle in Trumbull, where in her spare time she loves entertaining and trying new recipes.