The First Gen Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promoting social mobility by providing essential resources and meaningful support to the first gen community. 

Apply Now

Our Founder

Alejandra Campoverdi is a nationally recognized advocate for educational opportunity and women’s health, a bestselling author, founder, and former White House aide to President Obama.

Alejandra's national bestselling book, FIRST GEN, is the winner of the Dolores Huerta Award by the International Latino Book Awards, who also named Alejandra its 2024 Rising Star in Nonfiction. FIRST GEN is also the winner of the Martin Cruz Smith Award and was chosen by the Council for Opportunity in Education as their 2024 Opportunity Matters Book Club selection, a nationwide book club for first-generation and low-income students at colleges and universities across the country.

In 2024, Alejandra founded the First Gen Fund, a 501c3 that provides hardship grants directly to first gen students. She produced the groundbreaking PBS health documentary Inheritance, and founded the LATINOS & BRCA awareness initiative in partnership with Penn Medicine’s Basser Center for BRCA. Previously, Alejandra served in the Obama White House as White House Deputy Director of Hispanic Media.

Alejandra holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California. She currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the USC Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, and is the 2025/2026 Writer in Residence at Cal State University, Bakersfield.

Our Advisory Board

Kimberly Jones

President
Council for Opportunity in Education

  • On October 1, 2023, Kimberly Jones assumed the presidency of the Council for Opportunity in Education. For nearly two decades, she has served as a leading advocate for low-income students, first-generation students, students with disabilities, and other marginalized learners. Previously, Ms. Jones fulfilled several roles at the Council. In her present role, she serves as the chief executive officer of the Council, which represents the interests of its member colleges, universities, and community-based agencies that serve nearly 900,000 students in the Federal TRIO Programs. As president, she serves as the primary liaison between the Council and the United States Congress, the Executive Branch, and all governmental agencies as well as all other postsecondary education associations. Additionally, she oversees the organization’s professional development offerings for college access and success educators; scholarly and experiential learning opportunities for low-income, first-generation students; and the research agenda of COE’s Pell Institute for the Study of Higher Education. 

    Prior to joining COE, Ms. Jones was an Associate in the Communications Practice Group at the law firm of Dow Lohnes, PLLC (now Cooley LLP), where she advised clients on a variety of broadcast and media law issues.   

    Ms. Jones has served in leadership roles within various professional and civic organizations, including the Committee for Education Funding, of which she served as President. She is an inaugural Advisory Board Member for Black History 365, a comprehensive textbook and curriculum guide designed for students and educators that spans the breadth of Black American history, and a Board Member of Marked By COVID, a non-partisan charitable organization that promotes accountability, recognition, and justice for the millions of victims of COVID-19, including her father. Ms. Jones also a member of the Junior League of Washington and volunteers with the DC Family & Youth Initiative, an organization that provides mentorship and support for young people in and aging out of the foster care system in the Washington, DC metro area.  

    A Harry S. Truman Scholar, Ms. Jones is a graduate of Yale University and the Georgetown University Law Center. In 2016, Ms. Jones was named one of the “40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates” by the National Bar Association and also received the organization’s Excellence in Activism Award. In 2018, she was selected for the Diversity Executive Leadership Program sponsored by ASAE, the American Society of Association Executives. In 2021, she earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from ASAE.

  • Mike de la Rocha is a visionary strategist, acclaimed artist, and compelling voice for change. Celebrated as one of the most influential changemakers of our era, Mike has been behind several of the largest policy victories and cultural shifts in United States history. He’s earned accolades as one of GOOD magazine’s top 100 people reshaping our world, recipient of the AFL-CIO’s prestigious Justice, Peace and Freedom Award, and was lauded as a groundbreaking innovator by Stanford Social Innovation Review. A proud alumnus of UCLA, Mike co-founded Revolve Impact, one of the leading creative agencies in the world, and Tepito Coffee, one of the fastest growing Latinx coffee companies in America who works with Homeboy Industries to provide quality jobs to formerly incarcerated people. 

Mike de la Rocha

Founder
Revolve Impact & Tepito Coffee

Helen Torres

Chief Executive Officer
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality

  • Helen Iris Torres is the CEO of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), where she leads one of the nation’s most influential Latina organizations. As the CEO of HOPE for 23 years, Helen has strategically built a Latina leadership and advocacy infrastructure in California, composed of thousands of civically engaged Latina leaders serving in elected and appointed office, as business, philanthropic and community leaders. 

    Ms. Torres has led coalitions in California that have advocated for the first Latina to serve on the CPUC, and the first Latina appointed to the California Supreme Court.  She has created robust pathways to leadership for Latinas in high school to Latinas across the United States, resulting in over 1,600 leadership positions being filled by Latinas.

    She has served on various commissions under Governors Davis,  Schwarzenegger, and Brown,  overseeing AmeriCorps funding and governing on the influential “Little Hoover Commission.”  Ms.  Torres is a member of The Southern California chapter of International Women’s Forum, and an advisor on a workforce committee for the 2028 Olympics.  She has been recognized by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a “community hero” and by Hispanics in Philanthropy for her advocacy work on behalf of Latinas. 

Giovanna Gonzalez

Financial Educator and Author
Cultura & Cash

  • Giovanna "Gigi" Gonzalez is a TikTok influencer, financial educator, and author of the bestselling book Cultura and Cash. During The Great Resignation, she quit her 10 year corporate career to pursue her true passion: teaching financial literacy to young adults. 

    Gigi teaches personal finance and career navigation for First Gen at various organizations and on her TikTok account @thefirstgenmentor. She was named 40 under 40 by the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement, "Latinx to Watch" by Hispanic Executive Magazine and Top 25 Creator by Fast Company.

    Her work has been featured on NASDAQ, Business Insider, and Mitu.

  • Karim Webb is an Entrepreneurial Activist and a Principal at Webb Investments, an investment company aligning instruments of economic opportunity with and for people residing where opportunity exists. He is co-founder of Positive Cash Flow (PCF) Restaurant Management, a franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings ("BWW"), which has four restaurants in the Los Angeles area, with four additional units in development. Webb's leadership and advocacy for a more equitable restaurant industry earned him a spot on the 2021 NRN Power List.

    Appointed by Former Mayor Eric Garcetti and affirmed by Mayor Karen Bass, Webb serves as President, Board of Airport Commissioners on the Los Angeles World Airport Commission (LAWA) and holds various board positions, including the California Community Foundation, the African-American Board Leadership Institute, Everytable, the Digital Restaurant Association, and the Living Through Giving Foundation: Hashtag Lunchbag. Additionally, Webb is a Corporate Advisor for Brotherhood Crusade and an Advisor to the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA).

    Webb is a Venture Partner in Slauson & Co., an early-stage venture capital firm investing in the tools, platforms, and people aiding in small businesses' development, democratizing access to business ownership. He is a Partner in Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, an inclusive space for creators, entrepreneurs, and families with a mission to bring quality ingredients and good vibes to the community.

    ​He is also a spokesperson for BLOOM, an initiative of CCF that seeks to create a more positive and productive future for 14-18-year-old Black males living in South Los Angeles who are, or have been, under the supervision of the L.A. County Probation Department.

Deana Waintraub Stafford

Vice President for Field Development and Engagement, FirstGen Forward

  • Deana Waintraub Stafford serves as vice president for field development and engagement with FirstGen Forward, formerly the Center for First-generation Student Success, and is responsible for skill building and collaborations, curriculum and learning design, and scholarly knowledge and publications. Previously, Deana led strategic marketing and communications, the organization’s website, the nation's first recognition program First-gen Forward, and the National First-Generation College Celebration in partnership with the Council for Opportunity in Education.

    Prior to joining the Center team, Deana supported the University of Cincinnati’s Gen-1 Program, an acclaimed living and learning community that supports first-generation, low-income students. In her role, Deana was responsible for developing and implementing an evidence-based curriculum, advising students, and streamlining communication to influence persistence and retention and improve outcomes. Before transitioning to Academic and Student Affairs, Deana spent six years in Athletics as an assistant women’s soccer coach. During her time in college athletics, Deana implemented a holistic development model influencing student-athlete success beyond the undergraduate experience and promoting career readiness.

    A former student-athlete and varsity letter winner, Deana earned a B.S. in education from the University of Dayton and an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Slippery Rock University.

Theresa Reno-Weber

Chief Executive Officer
GoodMaps

  • Theresa Reno-Weber is a veteran, business executive, and former Louisville government official who has spent her career solving complex problems and serving others. A Coast Guard Academy graduate and 10-year Veteran, Theresa served in the Persian Gulf and as a Sea Marshall post September 11th, 2001. With a master’s in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, four years at global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and five years as a Deputy Mayor in Louisville Metro Government, she is skilled in taking ideas from concept to completion. Reno-Weber is particularly proud of her work to develop the

    internationally lauded LouisStat program, which leveraged government data to identify areas of needed improvement and trained hundreds of employees in Lean, Six Sigma, and Project Management to implement efficiencies in excess of $5M annually.

    Across her career she’s demonstrated her strength in building relationships and partnerships that yield step-changes in performance for the organizations and people she leads.

    As former President & CEO of the multistate Metro United Way headquartered in Louisville, KY and the current CEO of global start-up GoodMaps, she’s raised more than $145 million since 2017 by inspiring others with her vision. In this work, Reno-Weber helped implement a multi-state technology platform and governance effort to share data, coordinate care, and analyze outcomes across 300+ participating organizations in health, education, and social services to improve outcomes for individuals and families struggling to thrive.


    Born in Connecticut, she moved to Louisville, KY in 2010 with her husband, Ben Reno-Weber, a native Louisvillian. Together, they’re raising their three children, 13-year-old twins, Paul and Sophia, and 10-year-old Ava. A Girl Scout Gold Award recipient, Theresa believes in the Girl Scout adage to “always leave a place better than you found it”. With this spirit in mind, she’s committed to helping create a better Kentucky, United States, and world for current and future generations.


    As CEO of GoodMaps, a digital mapping, geospatial positioning, and accessible navigation company launched out of the American Printing House for the Blind, headquartered in Louisville, KY, and on a mission is to make the world’s indoor spaces more inclusive, interactive, and joyful for all, she’s able to combine her passion with her expertise.

  • Carlos Mark Vera manages the Equity Fellowships at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). The fellowships provide substantial financial aid to top-tier students from all backgrounds who plan to devote their careers to understanding and dismantling barriers to equity across society.

     

    Before HKS, Carlos co-founded and served as the Executive Director of Pay Our Interns. Originally from Colombia, Carlos was raised in California but moved to Washington, D.C., to attend American University (AU). While at AU, Carlos was an unpaid intern at the White House, the European Parliament, and the House of Representatives. He knows firsthand the struggles of trying to survive while interning for free. As a result, he founded Pay Our Interns in 2017 with less than $2,000. Under his leadership, Pay Our Interns successfully convinced Congress to pass more than $150 million in funding for interns in Congressional offices, at the State Department, in the White House, and beyond.

     

    Carlos’ advocacy efforts led him to be named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree, Top 20 Changemaker by NBC Latino, Hispanics in Philanthropy Lideres Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, Camelback Ventures Fellow, New Profit Civic Lab Fellow, and an Aspen Ideas Fellow. He has been featured in The Washington Post, NPR’s All Things Considered, The New York Times, CNN, and The Atlantic. He also wrote for The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, USA Today, and MSNBC. Carlos has testified as an expert witness in front of the U.S. House of Representatives and the California State Assembly. Most recently, Carlos was featured in an S&P Global case study titled "Entrepreneurial Leadership Must Help Meet America’s 21st Century Challenges in a Post-Pandemic World” and in PBS’s College Roadtrip Series.

     

    A former college dropout, Carlos went back to school and graduated from AU in May 2020 with a B.A. in Political Science. He also served in the Army Reserves as a generator mechanic. When he's not writing, Carlos is most likely at a National Park hiking up a mountain or participating in a long-distance bike ride.

Carlos Mark Vera

Co-Founder, Pay Our Interns 

Jose Antonio Vargas

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author