Southern California Hospice Foundation

MANAGEMENT

CEO/Executive Director

Michelle Wulfestieg

CEO/Executive Director Experience

Michelle Wulfestieg brings lived experience, resilience, and visionary leadership to her role as Executive Director of the Southern California Hospice Foundation. A two-time stroke survivor, Michelle’s personal journey profoundly shapes her commitment to ensuring that older adults and terminally ill individuals receive dignified, compassionate care at the end of life. This perspective informs both her leadership philosophy and the organization’s mission-driven approach to service. Since assuming leadership of SCHF in 2010, Michelle has guided the organization through significant growth and transformation. Under her direction, SCHF has evolved from a small nonprofit into a multimillion-dollar organization, impacting the lives of more than 7,000 individuals across California. Her leadership has expanded services addressing unmet socio-economic needs, honoring veterans, supporting grieving families, and fulfilling meaningful final wishes for patients facing life-limiting illness. Michelle is also an award-winning author and motivational speaker, using storytelling and public engagement to elevate conversations around end-of-life care, dignity, and purpose. Through strategic partnerships—including collaborations with high-profile public figures—she has effectively amplified awareness of SCHF’s mission and broadened its reach. A defining achievement of Michelle’s tenure was leading the capital campaign and development of the Heavenly Home, Orange County’s first nonprofit residential end-of-life care home. From concept to completion, she oversaw fundraising, acquisition, and buildout of the facility, which opened in February 2023 and now provides 24-hour care in a home-like setting for terminally ill individuals who cannot remain safely in their own homes. The Heavenly Home addresses a critical and often overlooked housing gap for seniors at the end of life, ensuring no one faces their final days alone. Michelle’s leadership has been recognized with numerous honors, including Outstanding Founder at Orange County’s National Philanthropy Day (2018) and being named one of Orange County’s 100 Most Influential by the Orange County Register in 2017, 2019, and 2023. Guided by a deep sense of purpose, Michelle remains committed to empowering others to use their gifts in service of compassion, dignity, and meaningful impact.

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