Carmen Rojas

About Carmen Rojas

As a leader, dreamer and truth-teller, I guide the Marguerite Casey Foundation in our endeavor to support emerging and established leaders, scholars and initiatives focused on shifting the balance of power in society so that all people in the United States - especially those who have been excluded in building power for themselves and their communities - may share in the promises of freedom. Prior to joining Marguerite Casey Foundation, I was the co-founder and former CEO of The Workers Lab, an innovation lab that invests in entrepreneurs, community organizers and government leaders to create replicable and revenue-generating solutions that improve conditions for low-wage workers. For more than 20 years, I have worked with foundations, financial institutions and nonprofits to improve the lives of working people across the United States. This extends to my work sitting on the boards of the Workers Benefit Fund, General Service Foundation, Blue Ridge Labs, Beyond12, Certification Associates and on the Community Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. I hold a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2007.

Experience

1. President & CEO

   Marguerite Casey Foundation

   May 2020 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Guiding members, staff and partners in building a just economy and fully realized democracy that truly represent the contributions, dreams, and desires of communities that have been historically excluded from shaping how society works and from sharing in its rewards and freedoms- Steering investment in community organizing through core grantmaking, impact investments and Freedom Scholars- Raising additional funds in order for the leaders, activists and organizations MCF supports to expand their creativity, experimentation, risk-taking and bold action to truly shift the balance of power- Prioritizing general operating (unrestricted) support for locally-based community organizing efforts, especially in areas where social justice leaders cannot depend on a robust funding ecosystem to support their vision and leadership- Leading through values of belonging and representation, mutual respect and trust- Supported organizations and leaders via grants totaling almost $34M in 2020- Introduced Answering the Uprising: Closing the Say/Do Gap in Philanthropy, an initiative calling on philanthropic foundations to make new levels of commitment to the cause of ending police violence and mass incarceration- Led MCF in increasing its own giving by 5% – $1.6M – to fund programs and organizations that directly address racial injustice in policing- Created the Freedom Scholars award in partnership with Group Health Foundation to provide support to emerging academic leaders whose research can provide critical insight to social justice leaders and encourage us all to imagine a radically improved economy, democracy and society- Spearheaded appointment of seven new board members to Board of Directors, including Stacey Abrams, nonprofit and political leader; Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change; and Zeke Smith, president of Empire Health Foundation- Selected for Inside Philanthropy’s 20•••00 Most Powerful Players in Philanthropy list

Education

• University of California, Berkeley

  PhD

  2004 — 2010

• UC Santa Cruz

  BA

  1998 — 2000