Sandy Liarakos is vice president of philanthropy at Sanford Burnham Prebys, overseeing the strategic philanthropic plan for the institute, building strong relationships with donors, corporations and foundations and working collaboratively with President and CEO David Brenner, MD.
Liarakos joined Sanford Burnham Prebys in 2024, coming from the University of California, Riverside, where she served as Senior Director of Gift Planning, overseeing legacy philanthropy programs for the university and the UC Riverside School of Medicine.
Prior to UC Riverside, Liarakos was senior director, external relations at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (2017-2022), where she managed the cancer center’s fundraising and collaborated with national cancer foundations. She has also been part of leadership teams at UC Davis, UC San Diego, San Diego State University, Point Loma Nazarene University, Scripps Health Foundation and Sharp HealthCare. She is a second-generation San Diegan. She graduated from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. She is a member of Certified Fund Raising Executive International and a Certified Specialist in Planned Giving.