Alejandra Ruiz knows the power of youth organizing. A native of Colombia, she migrated to the United States at the age of 7 and grew up in Queens, NY. She became an immigrant rights advocate when she first shared her story as an undocumented high school student and was later instrumental in the fight to win Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). As Executive Director of the Youth Engagement Fund (YEF), Alejandra directs money and resources to youth-led organizations –building the voice and voting power of youth of color in the South and Southwest. Alejandra’s work aims to advance efforts that shift white supremacist philanthropic practices towards models of giving and operations that center the care and leadership of communities of color. She also coaches youth and young adults on fundraising and career development. Before joining YEF, Alejandra was the Director of Donor Organizing and Advising at the Movement Voter Project and Development Director at United We Dream, the nation’s largest immigrant youth-led network. She has worked as an education organizer at Make the Road
New York, served with AmeriCorps VISTA, and is a Philanthropy Forward and Coro Fellows alum. She holds a B.S. in Urban & Regional Studies, a B.A. in Spanish Studies and concentrations in Inequality Studies, Latino Studies, and Latin American Studies from Cornell University. Alejandra currently sits on the boards of State Voices and the Funders’ Committee on Civic Participation, and was a 2022 Rockwood National Leading from the Inside Out
Yearlong Fellow.