Albert Nassi Tells Why He’s on Board with Summa
Albert Nassi doesn’t have a lot of what one might
call discretionary time. He’s a principal with his
own firm (the Westlake Village-based Nassi Group,
consumer inventory consultants), a member
of the American and California Bar
Associations and on the advisory
board of the Heart Foundation,
which funds research at Cedars-
Sinai Heart Center. But
when asked to join the Summa
Children’s Foundation Board,
the answer was an unqualified
yes. “Kids,” he says, “are close to
my heart.”
He uses that word often when speaking of philanthropic priorities. “I contribute to a number of organizations, though I’m only directly involved with two,” he says. “My contributions relate to where my friends and family have their hearts. If they believe in a cause, I try to support it.”
Nassi was a guest at the 2005 Summa Children’s Foundation gala. He attended not knowing what to expect—this was, after all, a brand-new organization— but says it was clear from the start that SCF was headed in the right direction. In Nassispeak, “hearts were in the right place.”
And he doesn’t hesitate in describing what inspires his time and talent as well as treasure. “I have to believe in the organization and how it spends its funds, and I have to feel good about the people involved,” he says, then adds with a grin, “and there’s an extra, added factor, too. When we hold an event, it has to be fun.” (Reassuring words indeed for weary veterans of the rubber chicken circuit.)
SCF’s focus on community initiatives was particularly attractive to Nassi, a father of three. “There are so many kids who need help,” he says, “and I think it can sometimes be tough for youth organizations to raise money. But with the funds this foundation provides—and the homework we do in determining groups to support—a lot more can be done to help a lot more kids.”
“If I ask someone to support a charitable endeavor, I need to be able to point to something positive and valuable that’s being achieved,” he continues. “I think people need to feel that the funds they’re providing will truly bring help and goodness into different places and lives.”
And, of course, into hearts.
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