Janean Stripe named new board president of The Country Friends nonprofit

Feb. 10, 2023 3:15 PM PT

Janean Stripe, an 18-year member of The Country Friends (TCF) Board of Directors, is the new president of the Rancho Santa Fe-based nonprofit. Stripe, who has long served as the organization’s treasurer and chief financial officer, succeeds Suzanne Newman, who stepped down after a four-year term but continues to serve as first vice president.

Stripe, a certified financial planner and senior wealth manager with Lucia Capital Group, has worked in the industry for three decades, and has been recognized as a five-star wealth manager for the past 10 years.

Stripe notes that The Country Friends has donated nearly $15 million to San Diego County-based charities since it was founded in 1954, with special emphasis on causes which benefit women, children, the elderly, military families, and the disabled.

“It is an honor to serve as president of a grassroots nonprofit which has provided crucial funding to so many worthy causes for nearly seven decades,” Stripe said in a news release. “I look forward to continuing this important work. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of so many.”

Stripe will welcome the nonprofit agencies selected for funding in 2023 on Monday, Feb. 20 from 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. at The Country Friends Consignment Shop, 6030 El Tordo, in Rancho Santa Fe. Attendees will include agency representatives, TCF board members, and volunteers. Marci Cavanaugh, who heads up human care funding for The Country Friends, will explain the selection process which includes site visits and surveys.

The Country Friends raises funds through events that include the signature Art of Fashion, a runway show and luncheon, presented each September in partnership with South Coast Plaza, and profits from the consignment shop staffed by volunteers.

Stripe also serves on the USD School of Business Advisory Board, as well as the boards of A Step Beyond, Santa Fe Christian Schools, The Barnabas Group, Science and Faith Alliance, and DCPI (Dynamic Church Planting International).

She is married to Tim Stripe, co-president of Grand Pacific Resorts in Carlsbad. The longtime Fairbanks Ranch residents have two married daughters and three grandchildren.

For more information on The Country Friends visit thecountryfriends.org.