Nick Kislinger

At the heart of my career is a deep commitment to service—an ethos inspired by my grandfather's belief that our highest and best use is to help others. This guiding principle has shaped my work across philanthropy, social innovation, mental health, and leadership.

From advising high-net-worth individuals and organizations on strategic philanthropy to co-founding Impact Hub Los Angeles, I’ve spent my career building initiatives that create lasting, measurable change. As Chief of Staff to California’s Secretary of Education, I helped lead Race to the Top, expanding charter schools and increasing digital access for students. Later, at the Entertainment Industry Foundation, I developed national campaigns tackling childhood hunger, STEM education, and the arts—leveraging media and celebrity influence to drive social change.

My passion for mental health led me to launch Breathwrk, a groundbreaking app that democratized access to breathwork, growing to 50 million downloads and 3.3 million TikTok followers. To deepen my impact, I pursued a Master’s in Clinical Psychology, working directly with adolescents in the Burbank Unified School District.

Today, as Executive Director of Summit Impact, I mobilize a global network of entrepreneurs, investors, and change-makers to address urgent issues like climate resilience, education, and disaster response. Whether scaling high-impact initiatives, advising philanthropists, or fostering cross-sector collaboration, my mission remains the same: to create solutions that empower communities and transform lives.