Our 2022 Annual Report: Letter from our CEO
By: Amanda Fernandez
Dear Friends and Partners,
When we launched Latinos for Education (L4E) in 2016, we dedicated ourselves to creating an organization that would be both a catalyst for change and also an amplifier for the voice of America’s Latino community within the education sector. We made a commitment that this organization would always remain deeply rooted in our community.
Six years later, this commitment is unwavering. Our leadership development programming and advocacy work has grown and expanded, and our Latino community has shown up at every turn to inform that growth and evolution.
When alumni told us that they wanted to make a difference beyond the classroom, we invited them, along with other Latino teachers, families, and school leaders, to shape our Latino Action Agenda policy work. When families in Houston, Texas, told us about the many ways their local schools and school district leaders were not listening to them, we launched our Familias Latinas Por La Educación Fellowship.
In 2022, we demonstrated growing capacity as a convener, moving forward critical policy conversations. In Massachusetts, we continued to build and activate our Educator Diversity Act coalition and as a result secured a $15M investment from the Massachusetts legislature to support diverse educators in the state. At the same time, our coalition was able to garner support for the Educator Diversity Act from over 70 legislators, and we successfully advanced the bill in both chambers of the legislature.
In Houston, we brought together diverse communities to ensure our voices were heard on issues that will significantly shape local education, including the redistricting process of Houston Independent School District (ISD) and investment in educators of color.
Nationally, we hosted a Capitol Hill briefing in Washington, DC, with congressional leaders and their staff to discuss the importance of increasing the number of educators of color in this country, and outline concrete policy recommendations to increase diversity and representation in our education system.
Of course, growth comes with challenges, especially for a Latino startup like ours. We work hard to prove our value and impact and have a seat at tables with decision-makers. Our commitment to the comunidad we work for, and are a part of, motivates us to continue our efforts on behalf of Latino students, educators, and families all over this country. We celebrate our Fellows, who inspire us to continue to strive for placing Latinos in the room where decisions are made for our children:
“The fellowship changed my life.”
“My definition of success changed, and now I’m thinking bigger about the impact I want to make.”
“I was able to tap into my superpower, which is my Latino identity.”
“I decided to go after that promotion. I decided to serve on a new nonprofit board. I decided to run for office.”
We hear reflections like these over and over again from our network of alumni, affirming for me that our comunidad is growing and that their voices are being elevated in schools and classrooms. We are deeply honored that Latinos for Education is part of their journey.
I’m excited for what the next chapter will bring for all of us. We will grow and expand our footprint in California. We will strengthen our programs and find new ways to elevate and place Latinos into critical roles within the education sector. We will ensure Latino students have access to an education that prepares them for success in life.
Thank you for being part of our comunidad and for helping shape our journey thus far.
Adelante!
Mil gracias,
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Amanda Fernandez is the CEO and Founder of Latinos for Education, the first Latino-founded and led national organization dedicated to creating leadership pathways for emerging Latino education leaders and diversifying education nonprofit boards. El Planeta has twice named her one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in Massachusetts and she is a Senior Fellow at FutureEd. Amanda has over 25 years of experience in the areas of recruiting, diversity, organization development, change management, strategic planning, and Latino community relations.
