Bobbi Abram is the Chief Executive Officer of the SBCC Foundation. She has spent most of her career as a leader in nonprofit and higher education fundraising and administration and served as Executive Director of the Pasadena City College (PCC) Foundation from 2012 until joining the SBCC Foundation in May of 2024.
She began her career in higher education advancement in 1987 as Executive Director of the Foundation at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law. She entered the community college advancement field when she joined Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS as Manager of Alumni Relations and Development. She expanded her experience by becoming the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Exchange in Kansas City, a non-profit membership and dining organization that supported the personal and professional growth of women.
In 1995, Bobbi joined the Metropolitan Community Colleges (KC,MO) as Executive Director of the Foundation where she led their first major gifts campaign. From there, she moved to the national level and became Senior Vice President for Resource Development for Heart to Heart, International then National Director of Development at the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation and the PKD Foundation (Polycystic Kidney Disease).
In 2012, Bobbi moved to Pasadena and accepted the challenge of leading the Pasadena City College Foundation during the time when California community college funding was declining.
Bobbi was featured in October 18, 2012 edition of the Los Angeles Times as doing the “unthinkable”, developing a fund to support high demand classes that were at risk of being cancelled due to the shrinkage in state funding.
Bobbi led the PCC Foundation in a major strategic planning effort that changed the organizational infrastructure of the Foundation, which included the implementation of the PCC Celebrates Gala event that celebrated the College’s 90th anniversary. Under her leadership, the PCC Foundation completed the college’s first comprehensive major gifts campaign, the IMPACT Campaign. With a goal of raising $10-$12 million for scholarships, arts, athletics and career education, the campaign concluded in June, 2019 having surpassed its goal, raising over $16 million.
The PCC Foundation then began a campaign with a $4 million goal for Advancing Science, to support the need for fixtures, furniture, equipment, student support and programs to culminate in the dedication of the new Armen Sarafian Building on the PCC campus. The campaign also reached its goal.
Bobbi served as President of the California Network of Community College Foundations Board of Directors and has been active in the Network for over a decade. She has served on local community boards and as an active volunteer.
Contact Information
Position Title: Chief Executive Officer
Telephone number: (805) 730-4411
E-mail address: abram@sbccfoundation.org
