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@ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2026 49 military tradition, but none of the men in her multi-generational Marine and Navy family ever spoke to the women about serving. Needing her mother's signature, Reidinger broke the mold at 17. She joined the Marine Corps, beginning as a junior enlisted Marine working in food service — a job she took simply because her grandmother was an excellent cook. An early marriage left Reidinger a single parent, after which she was even more driven to set an example for her daughter. She worked full-time on active duty while attending night school, where her sharp intellect and drive caught the eye of her mentors, leading to a prestigious officer program. By the time she arrived in San Diego, Captain Reidinger was serving as the Public Affairs Director for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at MCAS Miramar, orchestrating communications for global deployments. Remarried and now the mother of two daughters, Reidinger retired in 2017 after 24 years of service, settling with her family in Poway. But retirement did not mean rest. "When I retired, I felt like my sense of purpose had dropped," she says. "My give-back to the community was to use my skills and experience for good." at opportunity arrived during the pandemic, when the American Marketing Association approached her while she was serving on the board of the San Diego Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. As Cause San Diego prepares to unveil its next chapter of regional expansion, its foundational message remains beautifully clear: In a world that often prioritizes the bottom line, doing well and doing good do not have to be mutually exclusive. causesandiego.org Staci Reidinger, Co-Founder of Cause San Diego, right, with her daughter Amari Lackey at the San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on September 5, 2026 The Modern Board: What Great Governance Looks Like in 2026 Panel Discussion at the Cause Conference on September 24, 2026. Pictured L-R: Steve Bernstein, Chief Revenue Officer, Fynso and Founder, The Compounding Effect; Chuck Day, President & CEO at Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego; Toni Giffin, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries of SD County; Shaina Gross, Senior Community Relations Manager, SDGE; Megan Thomas, President & CEO, Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties; and Panel Moderator Jim Floros, CEO Floros & Associates